There’s something grounding about a family farm. Maybe it’s the smell of soil clinging to late-summer tomatoes, or the way kids’ hands reach for just-picked strawberries, juice already on their cheeks. In the Mohawk Valley, these farms aren’t just places to buy fresh food—they’re places to return to. Season after season, year after year.
Family farms are woven into the fabric of our region. They’re where generations learn how to tend land, raise animals, and pass down not just tools, but values—hard work, resilience, and a kind of joy that comes only from feeding your community.
This fall, we’re celebrating the farms that open their gates not just to sell produce, but to invite us into a way of life. At the center of that story is one Verona family who’s carrying on a beloved tradition while creating their own.
A New Chapter to a Local Legacy
On the edge of Verona, there’s a farm where familiar faces greet you at the market and each season brings a new reason to stop by. Swistak Farm has been a community fixture for more than half a century, with roots deep in local soil and a reputation for produce that keeps families returning year after year. More than 55 years ago, Paul and Cindy Swistak began building their small family farm—slowly, patiently, and with a deep sense of purpose. In April 2021, Jared and Sharee Fink purchased Swistak Farm, giving Paul and Cindy a well-earned retirement while ensuring the farm’s name
and its traditions lived on. For Jared and Sharee, both Verona natives, keeping the Swistak name was about more than recognition. “We have so many fond memories here,” they said. “This farm is part of who we are.”
Swistak Farm: Family, Tradition, and Fresh Harvests
Though they brought experience from Jared’s family dairy farm—now home to beef cattle, pigs, sheep, and chickens—fruit and vegetable farming was new territory. With Paul and Cindy as mentors, Jared and Sharee dove in, and it didn’t take long for the land to feel like home.
Today, it’s a full family effort. Jared oversees fieldwork and greenhouse operations with the help of farmhands, while Sharee manages bookkeeping, marketing, aesthetics, and a growing sourdough baking operation. Their four young children are never far behind, eager to lend a hand and be the first to taste the season’s best—they call them “quality control.”
A Place Where Traditions Take Root
Come fall, Swistak Farm is a riot of color. The farm store brims with homegrown fruits and vegetables, and U-pick offerings—from September’s tomatoes and peppers to October’s decorative pumpkins and winter squash—draw families from across the region.
“We love seeing annual traditions take shape here,” the Finks said. “Some of our customers have been coming for over 35 years.”
For them, farming is about more than what’s grown—it’s about what’s passed on. They’re preserving the farm’s core tradition: only selling what they grow themselves.
Their children are learning that ethic in a place where fall means fresh-picked vegetables, pumpkin hunts, and fires by the irrigation pond—a hidden “piece of paradise” tucked away at the back of the property.
Farming Through the Seasons
Even in the off-season, the work doesn’t stop.
“Each month brings new routines,” they explained. “April starts in the greenhouse. Then there’s transplanting, irrigation, weeding, and constant upkeep. We love every minute of it.”
More Than Just a Farm
In addition to feeding families, Swistak Farm connects them. Kids ask, “Did you grow all this food?!” while parents snap photos in front of the new U-pick LOVE sign.
The farm also:
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Partners with local producers for honey, dairy, and meat.
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Donates fresh vegetables to food pantries and nonprofits after harvest.
Looking ahead, the Finks hope at least one of their children will carry the legacy forward. Until then, seeing little ones squeal over the “perfect pumpkin” or sample a just-picked snap pea is motivation enough. “The happiness and appreciation from our community,” they said, “that’s what keeps us going.”
Visit Swistak Farm
Address: 6664 Greenway New London Rd, Verona, NY 13478
Phone: (315) 336-1251
Seasonal Hours: Tuesday–Sunday, 9 AM–6 PM (Closed Monday)
