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Quail Hill Farm News: February 2014
Note from Scott:
Welcome to our 25th year of community farming (!) in the fertile soil of Amagansett. Recently I uncovered a poster created by my father-in-law, the sculptor Bill King (a founding member of this CSA), to announce the first season of CSA farming on land that was newly donated to the Trust by Deborah Light. "Organic Vegetables: Weekly Harvests! Entire Season! Shares Available Now! For information on this unique and exciting event call 267-8492..." The name has been changed -- from "Promised Land Farm" to Quail Hill Farm -- fields and families have grown though the phone number remains the same, and a few of the characters remain, still with some spring in our step.
Summer Shares for 2014: Join Today!
 We are happy to announce that membership forms for the 2014 Summer Share and 2014-15 Winter Share seasons are now available. The Quail Hill Farm summer season will begin in early June and runs through the end of October. We had a plentiful season in 2013, and are looking forward to another fine harvest this year. Quail Hill Farm cultivates over 30 acres in Amagansett, and our crop list contains over 500 varieties of vegetables, fruits and flowers, including herbs of every type, 50 or so varieties of tomatoes, potatoes, leafy greens, garlic, cabbage, zucchini, onions, beans, peas, squash, cauliflower, broccoli, carrots, beets . . . the list goes on and on. For those of you new to the  farm, shareholders have the opportunity to visit the farm stand and pick from designated fields on Tuesdays and Saturdays, 8:00 am - 5:30 pm. Greeters -- long-standing farm members -- and apprentices will be on hand during Harvest days to answer questions. Shares are available for families as well as for single-person households. For more information and a shareholder form, contact Robin Harris at 631.283.3195 ext. 19 or RHarris@PeconicLandTrust.org. For information about crops, compost, and poetic cadence, contact Scott at 631.267.8492. ~~~~~~~~
Upcoming Farming-Related Programs
March 1: Food, Farms, Future: A Screening of Growing Farmers
Bayard Cutting Arboretum, Great River, NY.
 Screening of the film "Growing Farmers" and panel discussion, moderated by Edible Long Island's Betsy Davidson will feature Trust President John v.H. Halsey and Quail Hill Farm's farmer/poet Scott Chaskey, along with a number of young farmers from Suffolk County, including Chris Browder of Browder's Birds, Jen Garrick from Bayard's CSA, Sean and Jill Pilger from HOG Farm, and John Condzella from Condzella's Farm. The program starts at 2:00 pm. For more information, visit the Bayard website. March 29: Seeds and Seedlings at the Farm, this popular annual program returns to Quail Hill Farm. Work with Scott and Layton to plant a variety of seeds in trays destined  for the greenhouses -- and eventually the fields of Quail Hill. We'll meet at 10 am up at the barn -- please park on Deep Lane. Scott will also give a "tour" of the compost at Quail Hill and talk about what makes the best compost for growing. And, everyone is invited back on May 17th, when we will transplant some of the seedlings in the fields. March & April: Long Island Grown: Food & Beverage Artisans at Work -- a 4-part series of conversations at Bridge Gardens, with some of the most dynamic and innovative  local food and beverage artisans, moderated by pastry chef and food columnist Laura Donnelly. All lectures start at 2:00 pm. Click here for more information and to purchase tickets. ~~~~~~~~
Scott Chaskey's New Book: "Seedtime" Now Available 
The publication of Scott's latest non-fiction work -- Seedtime: On the History, Husbandry, Politics, and Promise of Seeds, published by Rodale Books -- has met with broad acclaim. From the book jacket: In the book Scott considers "the web of biodiversity and resilience at the heart of our cultural inheritance" by masterfully weaving history, politics, botany, literature, mythology and memoir into a beautiful and instructive book. The book is available locally at Canio's Bookstore in Sag Harbor, and can be purchased as well from the Peconic Land Trust or online from Amazon. Scott's first book, This Common Ground, a memoir, is an inspiration for many in the fields of CSA and ecological farming and gardening. Founder of the Blue Ocean Institute, and celebrated local author, Carl Safina, writes of Seedtime: " Land is for (Chaskey) soil and metaphor, a living thing, a livelihood -- an idea. His land -- the land beneath us all -- is his lens on the largest questions: How ought we act in the world; who do we wish to be? Rarely have we been gifted a working farmer who so firmly clenches in his root system the roles of poet, historian, scholar, and philosopher, but I'll say this: The yield is extraordinary." On March 21, Scott will be reading from "Seedtime" at Sylvester Manor on Shelter Island. Additional local readings will be announced soon. Click here to listen to a radio interview with Scott with Stefanie Sacks on Stirring the Pot (WPPB). ~~~~~~~~~
2013 Fall Member Survey
Thank you to everyone who participated in our member survey last fall. As a community supported farm, the views and opinions of our members are critical to helping us improve  the farm experience and in developing programs and activities that can be enjoyed by most everyone. We noted your requests for 2014: we will increase our plantings of cukes, parsley, and poblanos, and we will be adding endive to our list of greens. Last spring we replanted several raspberry varieties, so by the end of this summer we should be tasting the fruit. Also, we are working on providing better signage in the fields for crops ready for harvest, including a harvesting list for crops planted on Birch Hill. Stay tuned. ~~~~~~~~~~
Wish List
 A spirited member or members to don the apron of leadership for our annual Farm Breakfast and our annual summer Pot Luck Supper! Thank you once again to Jane Weissman and Linda Lacchia for years of good-hearted service.The farm is always in search of items for the farm and apprentice housing. A few of the items that we are in search of include: - Kettle for the kitchen at the farm. Also, we can always us pots, pans, glasses and bowls.
- Farm pick-up truck -- unfortunately, the trusty silver Tacoma has given up the ghost after 12 seasons. Old or new. Donated or for sale. We welcome all suggestions.
- Cargo Van for farmers market deliveries. Again, old or new; donated or for purchase.
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Farmers' Markets  Quail Hill Farm will be participating in the Sag Harbor and the Springs farmers' markets this year. If joining us as a member of the farm doesn't work for you, please visit us at the markets -- both will be on Saturday mornings, beginning in late May.
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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