CTs Star Light Gardens Has No Trouble Finding ‘next Generation Of Owners

David Zemelski displays produce in a greenhouse at Starlight Gardens, an organic farm in Durham. David Zemelski started the farm in 1999 with his wife, Tye, and recently sold it to Joel Smith and his wife, Jane Hill.

© Aaron Flamm/Hartford Courant/TNS David Zemelski displays produce in a greenhouse at Starlight Gardens Organic Farm in Durham. David Zemelski started the farm in 1999 with his wife, Tye, and recently sold it to Joel Smith and his wife, Jane Hill.

DURHAM — David Zemelski planted the first seeds at Starlight Gardens a quarter-century ago, and Durham's organic vegetable garden has not only survived but thrived despite not being able to adhere to strict growing cycles. Harvest and sell

Starlight now has new owners, Joel Smith and Jane Hill, decades younger and at the same level of power. But the couple has something unusual in an industry where it's hard to plan for the "next generation": Their relationship with agriculture stretches back decades, so they got married in a greenhouse, just in case, in their underwear. At the end of 2020.

"My main thing is that I wanted this farm to exist," says Zemelski, 74. "This is where I started 23 years ago, so I'm really heartened by what happened. You don't want to see your idea die. just because you're old. So, Jen and Joel, we've made something that works for everybody and it doesn't always work that way. No. There are a lot of dead farms like this."

Generational transitions like those found at Starlight are relatively rare in Connecticut, says Will O'Meara, Connecticut field agent for Land for Good, a New England nonprofit that supports young farmers. It reached farmers who want to retire but have no plans for the next generation.

In New England, according to Land for Good, 30% of farmers are at or past retirement age, and most have no "next generation" plans for who will take over the family or workforce.

In an industry focused on selling family farms for residential subdivision developments, O'Meara says there is a lot of interest in agriculture among new residents. O'Meara, owner of Hungry Reaper Farms, an organic vegetable farm in Morris, said finding land was the biggest challenge.

O'Meara points to Connecticut's FarmLink website, which currently has more than 400 registered "farm applicants" but only 80 land options listed.

"Stories like Starlight Paradise are great because they can continue good work, pass it on to the next generation and engage older generations, but that's not always the case," O'Meara said. .

Despite the harsh winters, Starlight has become a premier location for four-season farming in Connecticut. The idea was to plant crops in the fields that could survive the cold September weather: cabbage, spinach, beets and carrots. These plants are protected in a "hop house" greenhouse, a structure made of plastic stretched over metal arch supports.

On a recent farm tour, Zemelski entered a bounce house as visitors toured the last of winter's slush. Each house is named after its grandson, who is called Sven. Zemelski points to the California Golden Grape, commonly known as "mineral salad" because it is eaten to prevent disease.

Zemelski bent down, plucked a few leaves and offered them to the visitors to taste.

"He's from California," Smith said. "It's an excellent source of vitamin C."

The name "vegetables" is perhaps a more accurate description than agriculture, as almost all cultivation is done by hand or with hand tools on Sterlite's small three-acre plot of land. Smith and Hill say the small-scale approach is favored by younger generations of farmers.

Smith and Hill say they are ready to take the next step with Starlite, planning to combine the Zemelski startup with another 7-acre farm in Middlefield, which they are buying in late 2021. The two sites total about three hectares. They say they are working now.

The decision was made amid increased consumer awareness of how and where food is produced during the Covid-19 pandemic.

“Our hope is to do more for food security and food equity and make it accessible to everyone,” said Hill, 30. “That's part of the reason we want to grow and expand year-round, to meet the demand and market for more organically grown foods in Connecticut." This is certainly our hope".

Come work for me

Smith, now 39, knew for years that he wanted to farm.

"I know I do it from gardening and I have some friends who do farming and I'm interested in health and things like that," says Smith.

Smith, who lives at Patrick's, is unhappy with his job as an accountant. Then he left and met Zemelski while working at the City Seed Farmers Market in New Haven, which he combined with another part-time job at a pizza shop in New Haven. This year in 2012, Smith spoke with Zemelski about a program he was exploring in agriculture.

"And he said, 'I don't understand why you can't come to my workplace,'" Smith says.

Smith in 2010. The business began in 1999, owned by Zemelski and his wife, Ty, who died in 2018. Zemelski had strong ties to the area, where his father opened Powder Ridge Ski Area earlier in the year. 1960. The Zemelskis bought a three-acre property on Fowler Street, but at first they didn't expect to start farming. And none of them had much experience other than gardening.

Their inspiration came from a visit to the Maine farm of Elliott Coleman, an advocate of year-round organic gardening and author of The New Organic Grower.

Zemelskis originally sold salad greens to restaurants such as Max's Downtown and Trumbull Kitchen in downtown Hartford, Max's Catering. They later expanded their offerings, initially selling heirloom tomatoes and direct-to-consumer farmers markets as CitySeed.

Smith went from part-time to full-time at Starlight, and when Ty Zemelski became ill and later died, Smith — and now Hill, who works on another farm — took on more management responsibilities at Starlight. Hill, a Clinton native, comes with an agricultural background that includes working in community gardens while living in Denver.

"The sun is a star."

As 2020 opens, Starlight had planned to sell to restaurants and consumers, but the pandemic canceled those plans. Restaurants suddenly closed and farmers markets and farm stands expanded along Starlight Street, doubling sales year after year.

"We're a little worried because it's a busy, crowded situation," Hill said.

But since then, annual sales are up 20% year over year, Hill said. Because of the outbreak, Sterlite is selling directly to consumers, which usually results in better wholesale vegetable prices at restaurants and grocery stores, he said.

The updated Sterlite Community Farm, or CSA, program has grown from a handful of members to almost 80 members.

The new program will include a variety of market cards for purchases at farmers markets or farm stands throughout the year. Unlike a traditional CSA, cardholders can make year-round purchases tailored to their needs instead of making farm decisions, Hill said.

Smith and Hill bought Starlight Farms and Businesses earlier this year for $106,000, but chose to share the property instead of Zemelski's home. Zemelski still attends farmers markets and can do volunteer work on the farm when the weather is good, Hill said.

The collective farm is called Starlight, the logo is T Zemelsky, illustrator.

Zemelsky "My wife came up with the name." The sun is a star. People think stars are night things, so it's weird.'

Kenneth R. Gosselin can be reached at kgosselin@courant.com.