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A big thanks to...
Thank you, thank you, thank you to Linda Lacchia and her wonderful group  of volunteers including, Susan Cook, Nick Stevens, Pam Greene, Yvette DeBow, Lisa Pepe, Lenore Weitzman and James Walton for organizing another wonderful Pot Luck Dinner last Sunday evening!
We would also like to thank Nick Stephens, Pyser Edelsack, Kevin Doffey, Jonathan Rose for the new farm stand roof!
Please be considerate of those around you and remember the No Cell Phone policy while you are at the farm.
We need your help Next Week!!!
Between August 9th and August 11th we send our apprentices (as part of their ecological farming education) to the annual NOFA summer conference and we need to fill their slots at the farm on both Friday and Saturday. Please email me: krowe@peconiclandtrust.org if you are able to work 1, 2 or even 4-hours (8am till 12 pm or 1pm till 5pm) on either Friday or Saturday.
A Note from Scott: Wheat
Several years ago we helped Katie and Amanda (former QH apprentices), of Amber Waves Farm, prepare their fields for sowing wheat. When they purchased a combine two years ago (vintage 1956), we decided it was time to plant some wheat for harvest too. Last year we offered you wheatberries, weekly, at our CSA farmstand, and given your enthusiastic response, we planted another crop last autumn. The variety you will find at the stand this year is known as "Expedition," grown from seed that we purchased from our friends upstate, Lakeview Organic Grains.
Wheatberries are in fact the seeds of the wheat plant, a member of the grass family, as a grain second only to rice in volume produced globally. Worldwide, more acreage is planted in wheat than any other food crop. 12,000 years ago, in the Fertile Crescent, when some of our ancestors first saved the seeds of Emmer wheat, agriculture was born.
The variety we grow is known as a hard red Winter wheat, planted, using a grain drill, in October. For the past two years we have planted about 1 ½ acres each autumn, and two weeks ago, when we were satisfied that the grain had matured, we harvested well over a ton from that limited acreage. The combine, pulled behind a tractor skillfully driven by Amanda (the machine is twice her age), rumbles through the field and cuts the stalks of the plants, separating the grain (the berry) from the chaff. Then, before we present the wheat to you, we clean it (using another vintage machine), to remove the other plant material that inevitably grows up alongside the wheat, When you rinse the grain, any "weed" matter remaining should rise to the water surface. Follow the instructions we provide, and enjoy the "staff of life" grown in the silt loam of Amagansett!
In the Fields and Ready for Harvest
Looking out into the fields, tomorrow and Tuesday's harvest will include the following: 
- Wheat berries
- Onions
- Kohlrabi
- Eggplant
- Cherry Tomatoes
- Mixed Greens including Mustard Greens and Mizuna
- Potatoes
- Garlic
- Summer Squash
- Basil
- Parsley
- Kale
- Arugula
- Herbs
Vegetable of the Week: Wheat Berries 
Click here to read a blog post and recipe about wheat berries!
Greek Wheat Berry Salad
This refreshing salad weaves together many of our favorite sharp
flavors of the Mediterranean. This dish is easy to prepare and highly adaptable, feel free to substitute quinoa or brown rice for the earthy wheat berry. Adapted from Cathy of A Life Less Sweet.
Serves 4
- 6 cups water
- 2 cups soft white wheat berries
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
- 1/2 cup red onions, chopped
- 1/2 cup kalamata olives, chopped
- 1/4 cup fresh basil and or mint, fine chopped
- 1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled
- 3 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar*
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/4 teaspoons salt or to taste
- 1/4 teaspoons pepper
*If you don't have white balsamic vinegar, substitute white wine vinegar.
Bring the water to a rapid boil in a large pot. Add the wheat berries and ½ teaspoon salt to the boiling water and cook uncovered for 30-50 min or until wheat berries have reached the desired tenderness. Drain in a colander.
Combine wheat berries, tomatoes, red onions, olives, basil and feta. Mix well.
In a small bowl, combine the vinegar, olive oil, remaining salt and pepper. Whisk for about a minute to emulsify the dressing. Pour dressing over the wheat berry mixture and mix to coat the salad well. Serve and enjoy!
Wheat Berry Fools with Grand Marnier Figs  from Ancient Grains for Modern Meals by Maria Speck Serves 6 to 8 - 3/4 cup finely chopped dried figs, preferably Turkish or Greek
- 3 tablespoons Grand Marnier or other good-quality orange-flavored liqueur
- 1 cup plain whole-milk Greek yogurt
- 4 tablespoons honey
- 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon freshly grated orange zest (about 2 oranges)
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 cup cooked soft whole wheat berries
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream, chilled
1. Combine the figs and the liqueur in a small bowl and set aside to plump for 15 minutes, stirring once or twice, while you prep the ingredients. 2. Meanwhile, beat the yogurt with 2 tablespoons of the honey, 1 tablespoon of the orange zest, and the cinnamon in a large bowl until smooth. Stir in the wheat berries. Using a hand mixer at medium speed, whip the cream in a medium bowl until foamy. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons honey and continue whipping until soft peaks form. 3. Drain the figs, reserving their juices. Combine 2 tablespoons of the figs with the remaining 1 teaspoon zest in a small bowl and set aside for garnish. Stir the remaining figs into the bowl with the yogurt mixture. Scrape one-third of the whipped cream on top and fold in using a spatula. Fold in the remaining whipped cream in 2 additions until just incorporated. Divide among serving bowls, cover with plastic wrap, and chill for 2 hours. To serve, top each bowl with a bit of the reserved figs and their juices. To get a head start: The dessert can be prepared up to 4 hours ahead. Add a dash more liqueur to the figs reserved for the garnish, if necessary. To lighten it up: You can use low-fat plain Greek yogurt, if you like. If you have a recipe you'd like to share with other farm members via this weekly email, please email me the recipe and a photo of the dish (if you have one) to Farm Crew Spotlight - Layton Guenther  Layton joins Quail Hill as the new Farm Manager after farming for 7 seasons all over the country (including Alaska, Louisiana, California...). Most recently, though, Layton worked at the largest CSA in Massachusetts as the Packing Shed manager and crew leader. After five seasons in Western Mass, Layton moved west to study at UC Santa Cruz's preeminent six month apprenticeship in Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems. Now back on the East Coast, Layton is thrilled to join the crew at QHF-- she enjoys cooking, swimmin' in the ocean, and playing music.
A note from Layton: "Now six months into my first season at QHF, I've really enjoyed growing for the CSA-- members here are so much more involved than other farms I've worked on, simply by virtue of the fact that they're here so often! I also have loved getting to know and work with our awesome crew of apprentices. This is my first season as a farm manager with apprentices, and so in a lot of ways we as a crew are learning together-- both about sustainable agriculture and working well as a small crew on a (pretty large!) farm. I am continually awed by the bounty of the food culture on the East End, especially the tight-knit group food producers out here-- fishermen and women, farmers, cheesemakers, bread bakers, picklers, brewers, and so on/so forth. Together we are reminded that a community farm is one element of a sustainable food system."
What's Coming Soon:
In the coming weeks look forward to these delicious vegetables that will be added to your harvest slicing tomatoes, peppers, Swiss chard & more beets!
Harvesting Tips: Cherry Tomatoes
Call for Volunteers! 
We still need help weeding; and with cutting, bunching and hanging the garlic! As a reminder we welcome any help you can give -- please come to the farm shop Monday -- Friday at either 8:30am or 1:00 pm to volunteer. Bring gloves and water and be sure to wear boots and sunscreen.
At the Common Table Dinner
Don't forget to request your tickets to the
At the Common Table Dinner on Saturday, August 17th ! Farm members have priority for ticket requests so if you'd like to attend please make your request in the next week before tickets are opened up to the rest of the community. Please contact Robin Harris at 631.283.3195 or RHarris@PeconicLandTrust.org for ticket information.
Reminders Harvest Hours: 8 am - 5:30 pm Tuesdays and Saturdays Children are invited to participate in the Children's Garden every Saturday at 9:30 am 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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