VB: Ciesluk’s Farm Stand
The family history behind Ciesluk’s Farmstand, a roadside mainstay on Routes 5 and 10 in Deerfield, mirrors the trajectory of many Polish arrivals to the Valley in the early 20th century.
“Our great-grandparents came over from Poland in the early 1900s and worked in factories and on farms around here,” explains Mike Antonellis, who owns and manages the production side of the business. “By 1915 they were able to buy some land to start growing their own vegetables, and then they got into the dairy business. Our grandfather started growing sweet corn in the ‘70s and it started off really small – just a little yellow umbrella on the side of the road, just to give our mom and her sister something to do over the summer.”
Eventually, the dairy industry took a downward turn, and the family stopped producing milk in 1994. By then, the sweet corn business had taken off, and over the years the family shifted towards growing a variety of vegetables for wholesale and, eventually, for the permanent stand they built in 2001 to replace the original roadside umbrella.
Mike Antonellis bought the farm in 2018, taking over for his maternal grandfather Frank Ciesluk, who ran the business for decades. Mike’s sister, Jen Antonellis, returned to the farm around the same time to manage the farm stand. “I did medical billing for 15 years, and I didn’t want to be behind a desk anymore,” she says. “Mike needed someone to run the stand side of the business, so I took the leap! I like that there’s always something to figure out and some new challenge – no two days are the same.”
These days, Ciesluk’s Farmstand is open much of the year. The cycle starts with plant sales in the spring before transitioning to seasonal vegetables throughout the summer, and they finish the season with pumpkins, decorative squash, and other fall decorations. Jen sources fruit, dairy products, and more from other local farms, and they offer their own beef and baked goods. “We get berries from Nourse Farm and peaches from Pine Hill Orchards. People get excited about that,” says Jen Antonellis. “We like to offer a lot of variety so people can find everything they need here.”
Soon, the family will open Mike’s Snack Shack right next to the main farm stand. How soon? The siblings exchange a long look, calculating all that remains to be done, before agreeing: “end of August.” Right now, the Snack Shack is being outfitted with equipment that will enable them to offer ice cream, sandwiches, coffee, and baked goods. “Right now, our mom does the baking in a cottage kitchen, but we’ll be able to do it all out of this new space,” says Mike Antonellis.
He continues, “Our Babcia – grandmother – always wanted to do something like this here, but it’s a huge out-of- pocket investment. Now we finally are making it happen. Farming’s tough with all the uncertainties, like the weather, and this will hopefully be a source of revenue that can help keep us going.”
The highly variable weather has indeed proven to be a challenge in recent years – notably, the farm experienced significant river flooding during the widely damaging floods of 2023. Mike Antonellis says, “This year, it was warm in March, then it got wet and cold, then it got so dry. We’ve had a lot of highly localized storms, like it’ll rain at the farm and it won’t be raining at the stand. Thankfully, with the land we’re on, we don’t have to irrigate because the soil structure is so great.”
Diversifying offerings at the farm stand is just one approach the Antonellis siblings are taking to manage weather-related risk, along with other uncertainties inherent to farming. They recently added a new refrigeration system and a new wash line – which is a significant investment in infrastructure that enables them to wash produce, pack it into boxes or crates, and get it into cold storage quickly.
This investment makes the existing operation more efficient, and allows for the possibility of expanding wholesale relationships. The farm currently sells regularly to restaurants including the North Village Smokehouse in Millers Falls and the Deerfield Inn, and to grocery stores ranging from Food City in Turners Falls to Whole Foods.
Mike and Jen Antonellis are making big investments in the business and looking carefully to the future – and also, carrying on an important tradition for the community and their family. “The store allows for a lot of community connection,” says Jen Antonellis. “We have people coming in and saying, ‘Ah! I remember when you were just a little kid under the umbrella on the side of the road!”
“This is in my blood,” says Mike Antonellis. “I was following in my grandfather’s footsteps when I was a little kid. I’m outside, doing something I love every day. It’s not a job that comes with a lot of vacation, but it’s not something I need a break from.”
Ciesluk’s Farmstand is open every day at 564 Greenfield Road in Deerfield, and they accept credit/debit in addition to SNAP and HIP. Stop by later this month when Mike’s Snack Shack officially opens for ice cream, sandwiches, and more!
Claire Morenon is the Communications Manager for Community Involved in Sustaining Agriculture (CISA). To find more summer produce and Local Hero farm stands, see CISA’s online guide at buylocalfood.org.
Photos by Paul Franz, of the Daily Hampshire Gazette and Greenfield Recorder
Published in the Daily Hampshire Gazette on 8/9/25.
