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Vogue

The Bougie Farm Stands and Markets Of The Hamptons, Explained

Once upon a time (like the 1800s, or something) the Hamptons was a farming region. One where a humble man would tend to corn and wheat and potatoes, or whichever vegetables fit his fields' fancy, and sold it to the local townsfolk or shipped it to Manhattan city dwellers. But then, some Gilded Age millionaires decided to buy a beach house (or two) because income tax hadn't been invented yet. Fast forward two centuries, and you've got some South Fork towns with a median home sale price of $24.9 million—and no more humble farmers. Although a select few pretty rich ones. Across the Hamptons, a small sliver of its agricultural heritage lives on: via its extremely bougie farm stands. Oh, yes. Out east, there are an endless number of farm stalls, baked good shops, and gourmet grocery stores all boasting local produce and seafood offerings… as well as prices so exorbitant they might make Trump himself rethink his tariffs. Former Real Housewife and Hamptons resident Bethenny Frankel has even taken to TikTok to chronicle what she calls 'Hamptons Savage Gourmet Market Wars': 'We have a situation going on in the Hamptons. Savage Gourmet Market Wars. Okay? Used to be fitness wars. Like what Pilates class? What spin class? What yoga class? All that stuff. It's Savage Gourmet Market Wars. It is insane. There are at least eight to 10.' So below, find a perhaps not very informative (but definitive!) guide to the farm stands of the Hamptons—as well as what to get at each. Who needs a status bag when you can have status asparagus? Round Swamp Farm Let's begin with a story. It's Memorial Day weekend in 2022. My best friend is hosting a few people, including me, for the holiday. We don't feel like cooking because we are outrageously hungover. 'Why don't we pick up some things for the house at Round Swamp,' we say to each other. 'Just for breakfast and lunch.' We drive there. There are no parking spots. We pass by, and then circle back. Still no spots. We end up parking in a muddy ditch a quarter mile down the road. We schlep to Round Swamp Farm and start to throw a bunch of insanely delicious sounding but deeply random stuff into our basket: blueberry muffins, chicken fingers, chicken salad, a Thai spicy noodle, guacamole, bao buns, some sort of funfetti pastry, and I think a few more things? There must have been more things.