LI farmers eye facility to keep produce fresh

The instant a head of lettuce is harvested, it starts to decay. That's the nature of the perishables business, says Paulette Satur, and the reason that access to equipment like a vacuum cooler is vital for farmers.

"Chilling something quickly and maintaining that cold is imperative for food quality," said Satur, owner of Satur Farms in Cutchogue. Because of a recent $500,000 state grant, Long Island farmers could eventually have a public facility for packaging, cooling and distributing their goods -- something that doesn't currently exist.

The proposed facility, dubbed an agriculture enterprise park, was awarded the grant last month as part of a $101.6 million package for projects across Long Island geared toward job creation. Satur, who co-chaired the group that wrote the grant proposal, said the money will go toward forming an organization, surveying interest and possibly securing land for the site.

"When we first started farming, when I first solicited customers they said, 'Long Island produce doesn't hold up,' " Satur said. "I can't tell you how many times I heard that, and then we found out, 'Well, gee, they're not chilling it.' "

Satur, who sells her produce to high-end restaurants and upscale grocery stores, owns a vacuum cooler, but it's one of only two on the North Fork. Satur said the equipment, while expensive, is essential for cooling and drying packaged produce for a longer shelf life.

"Sometimes after a couple days our produce doesn't look good in the store because it has not had the moisture taken out or been cooled well enough," said Joseph Gergela, executive director of the Long Island Farm Bureau, the lead agency on the project.

"If we can help with that and provide a regional facility to enhance our product and make it more available to buyers, then we help the whole system."

Phil Schmitt, whose family owns Schmitt Family Farms in Riverhead, said he leases a vacuum cooler -- but it's pricey. He said a public cooling facility is a good concept, but because all farmers harvest during the same time, access could get tricky.

"It depends on how big the facility is, and how many growers are competing to use it," Schmitt said.

Helping the burgeoning wine industry in eastern Suffolk County is part of the goal, too. Steven Bate, president of the Long Island Wine Council, said he envisions a centralized warehouse and distribution center for the roughly 60 licensed Long Island vintners.

"This kind of facility would help move a lot more of the product into the wholesale market in New York City," Bate said.

Satur said numerous people have stressed the need for such a cooling facility -- from a woman who needs a space to process her homemade jams, to a man looking to make his spicy condiments on a larger scale, to several groups interested in a meat processing plant.

"The growers on Long Island are terrific," Satur said. "If they had a facility like this, there's no telling what we all could accomplish."