by Nelton Semedo, Tolman High School Marketing & Management Academy Student
If you are ever interested in paying a visit to a big farm that feels just like the countryside and is located just 15 minutes away from inner-city of Providence, RI, then Osamequin Farm is the place for you. Osamequin Farm is best known for their large amounts of hand-picked blueberries and sun flowers. They arguably sell the best produce around due to their washing facilities and cold storage. They also offer the opportunity to host special events, parties, and weddings at Osamequin Farm.
A breakdown on the history of Osamequin Farm is as follows. From 1700 until 1930 the Carpenter family were the stewards of the land. Since 1939 the Jencks family continued to be the stewards of the farm. In 1985 the “Pick Your Own” blueberry field was planted, and it remains a feature of the farm. Today Sarah Turkus is the Farm Director of Osamequin Farm. Before attaining the position at the farm, Sarah was a vegetable farmer for over 10 years. Because of this, she saw the struggles of the small farmer. This motivated her to be a part of the Jencks family tradition and continue helping small farmers by allowing them to share resources.
Many farms all over the Northeast region work with Farm Fresh RI, and Osamequin Farm is one of them — selling their products through Market Mobile, which is a transparent distribution system that benefits the farmers by allowing them to focus on farming. Market Mobile is a trusted and tested system for buying local food directly from the source. I asked Sarah why Osamequin Farm works with Farm Fresh RI. Sarah replied: “They’re an amazing resource for Rhode Island, connecting the farmers and making it easy. The staff is also friendly and easy to understand.” Also, when asked what she would tell a colleague about working with Farm Fresh RI, Sarah stated, “Farmers tend to be busy and don’t have the time to do everything, so Farm Fresh RI really helps in these situations —connecting you to the customers and delivering for you.”
Osamequin Farm plans to introduce new products in the future such as frozen blueberries and jam. They would also like to provide new ways to offer flowers such as edible flowers, which are another great add-on to the farm. With two acres of organically raised, chemical-free cut flowers along with medicinal herbs on their flower hill, this simply makes the farm a great choice. The farm also offers a series of activities available to the community, including the Build Your Own Bouquet option, costing about $15 to $20 depending on the weight of the bouquet. If you are interested in a diverse, creative look for your wedding or party the Do It Yourself buckets are of high quality for an affordable cost.
Osamequin Farm completely understands how difficult it may be to find large pieces of open land around this part of the country, therefore they provide land for new residential farmers. “Our goal at Osamequin Farm is to chip away at these barriers, offering long-term, affordable leases on farmland with the option to utilize shared infrastructure and marketing structures.” To help reach that goal resident farmers at Osamequin Farm include Lee Family Farm, Muck and Mystery Farm, Tooth and Nail Farm, Daylover Farm, and Hocus Pocus Farm.
For more information or to visit Osamequin Farm (during COVID19), please contact Farm Director Sarah Turkus by phone (774-901-4725) or email (sarah@osamequinfarm.com), or visit them on the web osamequinfarm.com.
A group of students from the William E. Tolman High School Marketing & Management Academy in Pawtucket recently took on a project of writing profiles about some of the local farms that work with Farm Fresh RI. This was a great opportunity for students to get interviewing experience, learn about the local food system, and see it firsthand. Thank you to all of the students and farmers who participated!
