Rob is the Administrative Director for the Long Island Farm Bureau. The Long Island Farm Bureau is a non-governmental, volunteer organization financed and controlled by members for the purpose of solving economic and public policy issues challenging the agricultural industry. The mission is to “Serve and Strengthen” agriculture on Long Island.

Long Island Farm Bureau‘s "grassroots" policy development process ensures that the organization represents the majority position of its membership. The success in implementing policies depends upon our active, well-informed membership guided by the efforts of many dedicated volunteer leaders. With a membership of over 3000 member families, it is evident that Long Island Farm Bureau is the voice of Long Island agriculture. Rob Carpenter will be one of the many presenters at the Long Island Food Coalition’s Conference, The State of Long Island Local Suburban Agriculture; Where Do We Go From Here? at Hofstra University on April 19th!

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Olive Oil Matzo

½ tsp salt 1 cup white flour 1 cup whole wheat flour 1/3 cup olive oil ½ cup water Sea salt flakes, Rosemary, Everything but the Bagel (Trader Joe’s shaker-seasoning)

1. Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Combine flour and salt in a food processor. Whisk together olive oil and water, and add to food processor. Pulse the food processor until dough forms a firm ball. You may need to use a spatula to mix some of the dough that sticks to the bottom of bowl. Continue pulsing until the dough becomes a non-sticky ball.

2. Cut dough into 12 small balls — this is easiest if you cut the ball in half, then half again, then into thirds. Flatten each into a 3- to 4-inch patty. Roll out on a well-floured surface into a 6- to 8-inch circle. If you would like to sprinkle different toppings onto the matzo, this would be the time to do it, so you can roll the seasonings into the dough. I used flake sea salt on some, dried rosemary on others, and a shaker called “Everything but the Bagel” (from Trader Joe’s) that has sesame seeds, poppy seeds, salt, garlic and onions in it, on the last few. The shapes can be irregular, but dough should be so thin you can almost see through it.

3. Put dough on ungreased cookie sheets, lined with parchment paper. Bake for about 2 to 3 minutes, making sure they do not burn. Once they begin to puff up and brown, flip and cook for another minute or so on second side. Watch carefully, because they can go from “not cooked enough” to “too brown” very quickly! Repeat with all the dough and let cool completely.