For more than three decades, Long Island Growers Market, a group of dedicated Long Island farmers, have been working to keep fresh, local food accessible to Long Island residents. Now in its 18th year, the Roslyn Farmers Market returned to Christopher Morley Park.
Founded by farmer and market organizer Ethel Terry, whose family farm in Orient Point dates back over 400 years, the Roslyn market has grown into a trusted hub for local produce, baked goods, and handmade products. The market, which operates under Long Island Growers Market, was co-founded by Terry and Ellen Rossi, who first organized markets in Islip after the pair pivoted from wholesale to retail selling in order to save their own struggling farm.
“Our farm was going under,” Terry said. “We were selling wholesale, and it wasn’t enough. Ellen Rossi saw a market at the World Trade Center and asked if I’d help her bring one to Islip. That was 32 years ago. Since then, we’ve organized markets all over Long Island.”
The Roslyn market, one of the group’s most successful, has built a loyal customer base over the years. “It’s the camaraderie. The people keep us coming back,” said Terry. “We have regulars who follow us across different towns. They know us. They trust us.”
Trust is central to the market’s mission. Each vendor must meet strict criteria: everything sold must be made, baked, grown, or caught by the vendor themselves. “We don’t allow brokers,” Terry said. “When you shop with us, you’re buying directly from the source.”
The Roslyn market currently hosts 23 vendors and is still growing. Weekly additions of new local artisans and farmers ensure the offerings stay fresh and varied. Longtime mainstays like Fred Terry and Son Farms and Orchard of Conklin Farm have been present since the market’s inception nearly two decades ago.
The market runs every Wednesday from June through mid-December, a longer season than many other markets on Long Island.
“As long as the farm can sustain the produce and we don’t get a deep freeze, we keep going,” the founder said. “Without a real farmer, it’s not a true farmers market. We’re the real deal.”
While Wednesdays may seem like an unconventional day, it’s a strategic choice.
“Markets only thrive if you don’t overload them with too many vendors selling the same thing. Once-a-week shopping encourages customers to buy in bulk and support the vendors enough to keep coming back,” she said. Saturdays and Sundays are already booked with other markets run by the organization across Long Island, including in Islip and Seaford.
The Roslyn Farmers Market operates under a seasonal fee and requires all vendors to be insured and licensed according to New York State regulations. The group also holds a contract with Nassau County to host the market at Christopher Morley Park.
Looking ahead, the organization is expanding yet again, with a new market launching in Garden City this July, at the request of Nassau County.
Despite the growth and change over the years, the Roslyn market remains grounded in the same mission that started it all: preserving family farms and providing Long Island communities with fresh, honest, local food.
Long Island Growers Market also operates in Islip, Rockville Centre and Seaford. The Roslyn Farmers Market runs every Wednesday from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Christopher Morley Park through December 17.
