Considering the quintessential summer meal of corn on the cob and tomatoes? People have been lining up to buy the corn and tomatoes at the landmark PineBrook Farmstand in Northampton, MA.

“Corn is late this year,” said owner Sandy Jaescke of the farm that has been proudly serving the community since 1951. “We have been going through 40 bushels a day” of the corn they started selling mid-July.

Horses and other livestock will be eating well too this winter, as her husband Richard Jaescke recently baled 1,000 square bales. The late cutting means the second cutting has a shorter growing season and, therefore, the resulting grass will shorter and less abundant as a result.

PineBrook Farmstand also sells peppers, tomatoes, beets, onions, eggplant, radishes, Swiss chard, summer squash and zucchini that they grow, as well as products from other nearby producers, such as peaches from Hager’s Farm in Shelburne and maple syrup from Paul Zononi, owner of Paul’s Sugar House in Williamsburg.

“We’ll keep selling corn until Labor Day weekend when we close, as all my workers go back to school or go back to school to teach,” said Jaescke.

Sandy Jaescke of PineBrook Farmstand in Northampton, restocking the freshly picked corn. Photo by Laura Rodley

What does she like best about working at the farm? “I like the people. Over the years, the kids that started with me come back [to visit]. I like seeing what they do now. Two girls just had babies, and two are going to college to be RNs. Two others are going to be engineers.”

She started working at the farm after her father-in-law, its founder, Emil Jaescke, died in 1995, splitting her time between the farm and working as a special education teacher in Springfield, MA.

She “brought her work home” by hiring kids at the farmstand, also starting in 1995, giving them a chance. “I told them ‘I’m going to be the toughest boss you ever had,’ with a laugh. ‘I’ll get you ready for the work force. You can use me for a recommendation. I’ll teach you how to deal with money, how to deal with produce, wash it, present it and sell it.’”

Customers can look for what’s available by viewing “On the Stand Today” on their Facebook page, PineBrook Farmstand Northampton.