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Notes from the Field
Week 3
A Note from Scott:
From the time she came into this world Anna Mirabai Lytton has been a part of our community farm, often coming to harvest with her parents, Kate Rabinowitz and Rameshwar Das, and always accompanied by her older brother, James Lytton. She grew up in a family in love with plants and the fruits of this earth. She died on Saturday as the result of a tragic accident as she was bicycling on Pantigo Road, in East Hampton. At the time of the summer solstice, the stillpoint of the year, our hearts are open to Anna's family -- we wish that they may find peace and grace -- and we celebrate the harmony in the life she lived. For Anna, who had a feeling for words, I offer these, from the poet Charles Reznikoff:
This I light for you
will last longer, perhaps,
than if it were on a wick
in a glassful of wax,
than if it were shining wires
and safe in a glass bulb
from any gust of wind.
And you are still here
shining like a star that has
crumbled out of heaven.
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In the Fields and Ready for Harvest
Looking out into the fields, tomorrow and Tuesday's harvest will include the following:
- Fennel
 - Kale
- Sugar Snap & Shelling (Shucking) Peas
- Lettuces
- Spinach
- Garlic scapes
- Pea Shoots
- Dill & other Herbs
Vegetable of the Week: Garlic Scape
Very young garlic, planted in October and harvested in July, is soft and onion-like. Early  in harvest season, farm members are often treated with garlic scapes--they look like scallions, but have the bite of garlic. As the underground bulbs of "hardneck" garlic varieties get bigger, they send out a long thin shoot that curls into a beautiful tendril. If left unattended, the tendril's soft top hardens and forms a mini-garlic bulb that inhibits the growth of the "stinking rose" below. Cutting the scapes guarantees larger bulbs and they are found in abundance at the farm stand in June. Scapes have a mild garlic flavor and can be used like garlic gloves-- in a stir fry, soups and salads or as a paste or pesto. Farm member Jerry Pluenneke has written a great article about garlic scapes that can be found in the latest issue of Edible East End (Low Summer), to read it click here.
Tips for Garlic Scapes
Freeze Them!
You can freeze raw whole scapes in a freezer safe Ziploc or puree in the food processor (a little water may be necessary) and then freeze portions in an ice cube tray inside of a large freezer safe Ziploc. Use in place of garlic when sauteing. Scapes lose a lot of their bite when sauteed, more so than garlic cloves, so use at least three or four times as much scape as your would cloves in your recipes.
Recipe
Grilled Scapes:
Toss scapes with a little olive oil, salt, and pepper, and place in grill basket or over direct heat for about two minutes. Flip them once. After removing from the grill finish with an extra sprinkle of salt maybe a bit of lemon juice or lemon zest. They'll be charred in spots and just soft enough, and their flavor will have sweetened and mellowed dramatically.
This Week's Harvesting Tip: Fennel
- Harvest bulbs when full-size and firm.
 - Cut at base with a sharp knife or scissors; or pull up the whole plant and cut off.
Storage Tips:
- The delicate leaves will go limp.
- Store fennel in a plastic bag in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
Culinary Tips:
- Use feathery leaves as a fresh herb for seasoning. Try using it in place of dill.
- Wash fennel bulb, trimming off any damaged areas or woody parts of the stalk.
- Fennel can be eaten raw, sliced thinly in salads, sauteed, or added to soups, pureed or chopped.
- Try substituting for celery in most any recipe.
What's Coming Soon
In the coming weeks look forward to these delicious vegetables that will be added to your harvest...fava beans, arugula, Asian greens, Swiss chard, beets, potatoes and garlic!
Children's Garden
Immediately following the Farm Breakfast at 9:30 this Saturday bring your kids over to the children's garden located in the valley next to the peach trees. This weekend the children will be planting both seeds, seedlings and working on an art project together. Heavy rain cancels.
Farm Store
Thanks for stopping by our Farm Store last weekend!
As a reminder we are selling Carissa's Breads (on Tuesdays and Saturdays)!!
Carissa is using: "QHF Wheat combined with bread flour, yeast, salt, and a natural started that was developed in Amagansett in 1968 by a QHF member. For QHF, I mill the wheat myself right before baking (at Foody's in Watermill)."
Reminders
Harvest Hours:
8:00 am - 5:30 pm
Tuesdays and Saturdays
Please be considerate of those around you and remember the No Cell Phone policy while you are at the farm.
See you at the farm breakfast this Saturday from 8:00 a.m. until 9:30 a.m.!
Thank you,
Kate
Also, to keep up with news at the farm,
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Quail Hill Farm is a stewardship project of the Peconic Land Trust.
For information concerning Quail Hill Farm, please contact Robin Harris at 631-283-3195
The Peconic Land Trust conserves Long Island's working farms, natural lands,
and heritage for our communities, now and in the future.
Financial Disclosure Statement: A copy of the last financial report filed with the New York State Attorney General may be obtained in writing to: New York State Attorney General's Charities Bureau, Attn: FOIL Officer, 120 Broadway, New York, NY 10271 or Peconic Land Trust, PO Box 1776, Southampton, NY 11969.
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