West Maple Farm Picks Sunday for Free Tomato Picking Event

By M. C. Millman

According to West Maple Farm Owner Zev Oster, there were droves of happy Rockland residents who visited West Maple Farm on Sunday, August 14, for a day of free tomato picking.

"I decided on Friday, right before the zman," Oster tells Rockland Daily, "that a free tomato picking event would be a great way for the community to come together. Some wanted me to wait another week, but the tomatoes were ready now, so we did it on Sunday."

There were 1,500 tomato plants to choose from, with an estimated 30,000 ripe Sungold cherry tomatoes in red, orange, and white. Families arrived with shopping bags, containers, pails, boxes, and crates to pick at the farm that also has a petting zoo, hayrides, and a variety of vegetables available for picking during the season.

"Droves of people came to pick nonstop from 10 until about 2:30 when we were out," says Oster. "People took what they could eat, and many took for friend's family and their grandmothers."

Although people found it hard to fathom, the tomato picking was a no strings attached event. Some families opted to visit the petting zoo or experience the hayride for the regular fee, but it wasn’t a requirement that had to be met in order to pick the tomatoes. At five dollars a pint for the same tomatoes regularly, the event was more than a bargain for anyone who participated. 

"One guy came over and told me it reminds him of Eretz Yisroel during shmittah," Oster recalls. "Normally, we do hayrides and then stop in the fields for five or ten minutes so people can pick."

The farm is in its second year and is a full-time job for Oster, who used to be a diamond jeweler. 

"Now I get up at six a.m. for planting, weeding, and watering," says Oster. "I can come home at ten or ten thirty at night." 

"There were so many people coming and going," said Mindy Lazarus, who came to pick with her grandchildren. "It was so fun! The produce was plentiful with delicious sweet orange and red cherry tomatoes."

"There was real satisfaction watching kids with families picking and eating the tomatoes," Oster shares after yesterday. "I wanted to bring recognition and create awareness about farms, especially since there are so few left in Rockland County. There are parks, but when it comes to agriculture and when you have an unbelievable scenic area like the 15 acres we're farming right now – I wanted the satisfaction of seeing kids and parents enjoying themselves."