Long Island Veggie Orchestra Makes 'Gourd-Geous' Symphony Of Sound

ROCKY POINT, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) -- A group of Long Island musicians are making music -- but they're far from your garden variety performers.

TV 10/55's Long Island Bureau Chief Richard Rose spoke with 37-year-old Dan Battaglia, who says he loves to work with tools in his Rocky Point garage.

But he's not busy building chairs or tables.

"Let's see how carrot stop is, it's beautiful, a good sized carrot," Battaglia says as he fashions a combination sweet potato-carrot together.

It's not a new form of agriculture or a fad diet, but rather a vegetable instrument -- or in this case a sweet potato flute.

Battaglia is one of several trained musicians who perform regularly on Long Island as part of the Long Island Vegetable Orchestra.

They make sweet music from nutritious vegetables, playing beloved tunes such as "Somewhere Over The Rainbow" with instruments like a butternut squash french horn.

Battaglia has been a member of the Long Island Orchestra for seven years, and group members now rely on him to cook up or craft many of their instruments.

Before performances, he roams the aisles at his local supermarket looking for just the right shaped veggies.

Other shoppers are equal parts impressed and dubious.

"It sounds a little crazy, but if it works and they want to make music, that's just fine," shopper Joyce Kasden said.

Battaglia turns to his piano to be sure his musical salad bar spread is in tune. He knows some folks think he's out of his gourd, but he counters that vegetable instruments make total sense.

"Anything can be an instrument, you just have to carve it the right way to manipulate the air," he said.

Battaglia says his favorite vegetable to play is the carrot flute.

If you are what you eat, then Battaglia and his orchestra are simply vegetable maestros.

You can see the Long Island Orchestra play with their food at the Long Island Fair in Old Bethpage on September 16th.