Having fun with nature on the farm

Adorned in butterfly wings were cousins Mia Saputo, 3, Lilly Turner, 6, Rylie Sena, 5, and Sophie Turner, 6, all of North Merrick, next to the farm’s butterfly garden.

Donovan Berthoud/Herald

Adam Cohen, 3, and his sister Elana, 7, picked their favorite pumpkins.

Donovan Berthoud/Herald

Tim Sena helped his granddaughter, Ella Saputo, make a fairy house.

Donovan Berthoud/Herald

George Harvery enjoyed live acoustic music with his daughters, Eileen, 5, and Mary, 3.

Donovan Berthoud/Herald

Brian and Melissa Jeran sold homemade jam throughout the weekend.

Donovan Berthoud/Herald

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For the fourth straight year, the East Meadow Farm welcomed residents for a weekend to engage in fun and educational fall activities.

Hundreds arrived at the 2.5 acre farm on Merrick Avenue, which opened in 2012 as a partnership between Cornell Cooperative Extension and Nassau County. They had the opportunity to enjoy helpings of fruits and vegetables, observe the many plants, flowers and gardens on the premises, listen to live music, or learn about horticulture from the many CCE representatives that were on site.

Other fun activities, including pumpkin picking and building a fairy house, were popular among children. Demonstrations by the farm’s master gardeners also took place.

Families from East Meadow and North Merrick, as well as other nearby communities, attended the festivities with their young children.

The farm, at 832 Merrick Ave., is open for walk-in service Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., as well as 4 to 7 p.m. on Thursdays, until Nov. 15, when shorter seasonal hours begin. Its demonstration and community gardens are open from dawn until dusk.

For more information, visit ccenassau.org.