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QUAIL HILL FARM E-NEWS
Celebrating its 26th season, Quail Hill Farm is a Community Supported Agricultural (CSA) project that helps to ensure the survival of agriculture on Long Island's East End. A stewardship project of Peconic Land Trust, Quail Hill Farm brings together agricultural land, farmers and community members in a relationship of mutual support.
Published biweekly, the Quail Hill Farm E-News is written by farm member Jane Weissman and produced by Peconic Land Trust's Yvette DeBow and Caryn Hayes. Your contributions--recipes, news and events, poems, photographs and drawings--are welcomed. Send them to quailhillnews@aol.com.
IN THE FIELDS/AT THE STAND
This list is prepared a few days before harvest.
It could change, so please don't set your heart on any one item.
But then again, there will be welcome surprises.
Early Summer Crops: Arugula, Bok Choy, Collards, Fava Beans, Fennel, Kale, Green Beans, Lettuce, Mizuna, Potatoes, Radishes, Scallions, Spinach, Swiss Chard. Herbs: Bay, Borage, Chives, Cilantro, Dill, Bronze Fennel, Anise Hyssop, Lemon Balm, Lovage, Mint, Oregano, Parsley, Rosemary, Sage, Tarragon, Thyme. Flowers: Ageratum, Agrostemma, Bachelor Buttons, Calendula, Cosmos, Irish Poet, Snapdragons, Statice, Strawflower, Zinnias, Zulu Daisies
COMING SOON!
Crops: Beets, Carrots, Cucumbers, Endive, Garlic, Raspberries, Summer Squash.
Flowers: Still they come, 40+ varieties over the summer.
 
HARVESTING TIPS
Cut herbs like Parsley the same way as Kale or Arugula -- one sprig at a time. Clear cutting -- i.e, lopping off the top off the entire plant -- prevents the production of new growth (and it's unsightly, too).
Please do not pick the Milkweed growing in the path to The Valley and in the field leading to Birch Hill. Milkweed is an important source of food for migrating Monarch butterflies, due to arrive soon. Thank you!
WEATHER REPORT
a conversation with Scott
"It's July!," exclaimed Scott, sitting down to talk. Hot, muggy days --  and little or no rain to provide relief to humans and plants -- present many challenges to farmers. Regular chores continue apace -- seeding (into trays and into the ground), transplanting, cultivating and harvesting. And there's the added burden of watering the fields, farmers dragging around heavy irrigation pipes. "If we can just get thru July" -- the perceived wisdom shared by many farmers -- "then we'll be OK." Things really do ease up in August.
Of course, this year has been the reverse of normal. July's intense heat is ye t to arrive and the nights have been uncommonly cool. But plants thrive in sunny, 80-degree days and they are "really taking off." There were no spring rains counted on by farmers. But the long dry spell was followed by recent, evenly-spaced rainfalls, providing sufficient irrigation. Another good shower would be most welcome as the farmers are still seeding and transplanting; otherwise, out come the pipes.
Farmers are seeding autumn squash, a task of several days duration. A fourth round of lettuce was planted directly into the ground, and a fifth round is growing in the greenhouses. At this time of year, slow-bolting varieties get substituted for those vulnerable to the heat.
 The garlic harvest has begun, a week-long task for which volunteer help is especially welcome (contact Layton at 631.267.8492). "It looks like a really good crop. We planted 5 varieties of garlic, 600 pounds in all, and we expect a 5-fold return, about 3,000 pounds." That's a lot of the beloved stinking rose! The challenge is properly drying it. The bulbs and stalks are first laid out in the greenhouses, covered by shade cloth, with the fans going full blast. Then they are bunched and hung from the rafters.
 Where there's garlic there's also onions and potatoes. We will soon see, perhaps this weekend, early bunching onions -- Crystal White Wax and Purplette -- varieties that mature in 70 days versus the 100 days needed by storage onions, ready in late July.
Also the first or "new" potatoes are ready for harvest -- the Red Golds, delicious boiled or steamed and tossed with butter, salt, and parsley.
They will soon be followed by many more varieties (descriptions to appear in a future QHF E-News).
 Potatoes are growing in three locations -- on Birch Hill and on Town Lane. Two of three should yield excellent harvests, the third a decent one. The Colorado potato beetle inevitably arrived, but except for the fingerlings (which these pests love, perhaps, more than we), the plants suffered minimal damage.
Click here (and scroll down to Tales from the Field) for an informative yet humorous discussion of the Colorado potato beetle by 2014 apprentice Matt Dell.
This year, the plants of the Kennebec potato, a white storage variety, are the biggest ever grown at QHF. There is also a Purple Majesty which the farm is growing. And new to QHF is an ancient Peruvian potato -- the beautiful purplish red Papacacho. The plants grow waist high and even though the beetles like them, their height offsets undue damage. Look for them at the end of the month.
 Inevitably, too, the beetles found the eggplants growing in the Valley and the farmers are busy hand-picking them from the plants -- a messy daily chore. However, the infestation is "not alarming" and we can look forward to a good harvest.
 What about tomatoes, which we await with great anticipation? The first round of plants "looks good." They have been staked and the growing plants are currently undergoing a "second stringing." To keep the plants upright and off the ground, they are tied in stages to string stretched across the stakes.
 A second round of tomatoes are about to get transplanted, many of them grown from seed saved from last year's harvest. The practice of saving seed from crops that have adapted to a specific climate helps ensure their chance of survival in a changing climate. In support of grass roots seed saving initiatives, QHF is hosting a July 14th workshop led by Matthew Goldfarb and Petra Page-Mann, farmers and co-owners of Fruition Seeds (www.fruitionseeds.com).
Based in the Finger Lakes, they save seeds adapted to the northeastern climate, distributing them throughout the northeast region. Scroll down to the CALENDAR for details.
Scott was recently interviewed by conceptual artist Mary Ellen Carroll who investigates the nexus of, among other disciplines, the arts and land use policy. The interview, which touched on seeds, his book Seedtime, and land protection, took place in her Dream Machine. It was streamed publicly and will appear on the Parrish Art Museum's website.
Scott's wo rk as a leader in Community Supported Agriculture was recognized with a Golden Shovel at a recent benefit hosted by Colin Ambrose of Estia's Little Kitchen. The event honored the late Eileen Roaman (a long time QHF member) and dedicated, in her name, a greenhouse to augment the activities of Project MOST, a Springs School program that teaches kids about growing food and eating healthy. Info: PROJECT MOST.
The shovel might be golden, but silver is the color associated with Quail Hill's most recent anniversary -- its 25th. Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) was a young movement in 1990, the year of the farm's first harvest. Today there are approximately 6,000 CSAs in the United States, uniting members of a community with a local farmer to share the risks and rewards of small-scale farming. And, in the case of Quail Hill, our farm represents the marriage of a conservation organization and a CSA: we preserve prime farmland and we farm it, to benefit the community. Over the years, Scott has mentored scores of young farmers, and Quail Hill has become a model for countless farms across the country.
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Apprentices Armi and Jess are still looking for a CAR to use this summer. If you have one to lend or sell cheaply, write Armi at armism@gmail.com or call Jess at 718.314.1223. Thank you!
FARM MEMBERSHIPS AVAILABLE! Single Person & Family Shares Tell your friends. Invite them over for a meal prepared with farm veggies. Once they see and taste the difference, how could they not join? 
Info: Peconic Land Trust's Robin Harris at 631.283.3195
TALES FROM THE FIELD
as told by QHF farmer Gabe Siciliano
A week into my apprenticeship at Quail Hill, I found myself on my knees in the Valley, hand-weeding rows of carrots. For those who don't know, carrot sprouts look nothing like their full-grown counterparts; before their true leaves show, they are quite nondescript and very difficult to tell apart from weeds.
Carrot seedlings with true leaves sprouting from their center.
Since they grow fairly slowly and are hard to spot amongst the weeds that inevitably grow around them, hand-weeding them is tedious, difficult work, especially in light of their fragility. As I was plucking weeds one by one from the carrot bed and my lower back began emitting the first grumblings of discomfort that would surely burgeon into full-fledged soreness come the following morning, I found my thoughts drifting to my childhood on my grandparent's farm in Hightstown, NJ, and to the many words of wisdom I learned from my late grandfather, Joseph.
One lesson in particular seemed pertinent to the task at hand. My grandfather was fond of saying that life is like gardening, and wrote  the following in his memoirs: "...one develops a self-discipline that comes with having to do things when it's the time to do them. Planting can't be put off; neither can cultivating nor weeding. You learn to keep going when you'd much rather not. And to accept an occasional poor result at the end of the season despite your best efforts. You also learn to take justifiable pride when you walk around and see the ripening of your vegetables, and the beauty of your flowerbeds. In short, for me gardening is a metaphor for Life -- from beginning to end."
This metaphor of life as a garden to be tended, as a cycle of planting and harvesting, has guided me for many years. Never has it been more concretely evident to me than in the time I have spent at Quail Hill. The work we do here is hard, and much of it ponderous, but it must be done in order to get the best crop possible. There are no shortcuts on a working farm, just as there are no shortcuts in life. I have taken this lesson to heart, and it is reinforced every day I come in to work. I hope it makes you think as well!
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This is the first of a series of Tales told by QHF's 2015 farmers.
Click here to read a compilation of the Tales from 2014.
FARM POT LUCK SUPPER Sunday, July 12 starting at 5 PM The Apple Orchard For members and their guests. All welcome!   
Enjoy a great meal made from summer's harvest bounty. Bring an entree, appetizer, sides, or desserts to serve 8 or more. Don't forget your plate, utensils and a chair or blanket. FLOWERS WANTED! For decorating the orchard! On Saturday, please leave some of your farm flowers in the designated bucket at the Farm Stand. VOLUNTEERS ARE NEEDED ON SUNDAY FOR... Setup (meet at 3 PM) and Clean-up (done by 9 PM) Your help makes the pot luck a success! Contact Christine Sciulli CUKES & ZUKES The arrival of summer squash and cucumbers declares that the season is in full bloom. Quail Hill grows a wonderful assortment of cukes and zukes -- varieties that are light and dark green, yellow, two-tone, striped, large, small, straight, star-shaped & crooked. Seek them out in the fields and enjoy! SUMMER SQUASH
 Costata Romanesco. Green and deeply striped and ribbed, the fruit have a distinctive sweet, mildly nutty flavor. The plant produces tasty male squash blossoms, and the fruits are good for stuffing even when they get way oversized; they have been known to reach 20 pounds.
Ra ven. Setting the standard for dark zucchini, its shapely green-black fruits are smooth-skinned and glossy. Its dark pigmentation contains more of the antioxidant lutein than lighter-skinned varieties.  Saffron. This yellow semi-crookneck variety grows to 4-6".  Striato d'Italia. Striped in light and dark green with light ribbing, the fruit of this 8-9" zucchini is somewhat thicker at the blossom end. It is noted for its superb flavor and texture.  Sunburst. Its bright yellow skin makes this the most attractive of the Patty Pan squash.  White Bush. Originally from Lebanon, the firm and flavorful fruits are best picked when young and tender. Eat them fresh or turn them into delicious chip pickles. Try them grilled -- brushed with olive oil and then showered with minced basil and mint. Fattened up, they are perfect for stuffing.
 Yellow Fin. Known for its buttery flavor, this golden yellow zucchini has uniform, cylindrical fruits that grow to 8-9".
 Zephyr. This yellow squash looks like it's been dipped in pale green at the blossom end, although the earliest fruits can be yellow with green stripes. A straightneck type, it can have a slight curve at its neck -- the product of the yellow crookneck in its breeding. Try it grilled! 
CUCUMBERS  Calypso. Great for pickling, these medium-sized dark green fruits have white spines.  Edmondson. A family heirloom dating to 1913, the blocky, white-green 4" fruits mature to a deep red-orange. They are crisp and flavorful even when large. Good for slicing, salads, and pickling.  General Lee. A good slicer with a sweet salad flavor, theuniform straight dark-green fruit with white spines grow to 8-8½".  Green Finger. The thin 6-8" fruits have tender skin, crisp flesh and a small seed cavity.  Lemon. Shaped somewhat like lemons, the rounded 3" fruits are very crisp and sweet. Their color evolves from pale greenish yellow (immature though preferred by many as most tender and least seedy) to lemon yellow (best eating stage for most) to golden yellow (full maturity and seed production).  Little Leaf. The small blocky fruits are as good for pickling as fresh eating.  Marketmore. Long the leading slicing variety in the Northeast, the dark green, uniform fruit grows to 8-8½".  Miniature White. Best harvested when less than 3" long, these white-skinned, black-spined fruit are perfect little pickling cukes. They're also delicious fresh.  Olympian. The beautiful, dark green, straight fruit grow to 8-9" and are crisp with fresh flavor. Pai nted Serpent. Native to Armenia and brought to Italy in the 15th century (and also known as Snake Melon), the slightly fuzzy fruit has alternating light and dark green stripes. Delicately coiling like a serpent, it can grow up to 30", but it's best eaten at 8-18". Salt & Pepper. This 3-5" pickling cucumber is white skinned with black spines. Shin tokiwa. An Asian variety, this smooth-skinned long slender cucumber produces fruit averaging 9-10". Sweet, crisp and juicy without bitterness, they were pronounced "flowery, buttery and delicious" by one trial taster.  White Wonder. The 7-inch, creamy-ivory fruits are delicious and equally good for pickles or slicing. W. Atlee Burpee introduced this heirloom in 1893.
FEED FEED
Thanks to farm members Julie & Dan Resnick, originators of feedfeed, we can soon look forward to a bi-weekly email with links to inventive recipes on its website -- www.feedfeed.info -- for vegetables currently available at the farm. Until the first issue -- to be sent out by Peconic Land Trust -- check out recipes for Peas, Kale & other greens, Radishes, Nettles, and Zucchini & Summer Squash.
Frustrated by the difficulty of sorting through amazing ideas, recipes and inspiration found on social media, Julie and Dan started feedfeed, where they curate and organize recipes from across the globe. Recipes are searchable by ingredient, cooking style, and meal type. All content is sourced from a living and breathing community cultivated through their Instagram account @thefeedfeed.
FARM BREAKFAST - THANKS! Kudos to Ronnie Gill-- whose initial foray at organizing this popular event was a huge success. The food was delicious and everyone had a great time. MANY THANKS to her great team of volunteers! QHF farmers: Scott, Layton, Armi, Gabe, Jess, Ryan & Stefanie
Farm members cooked for and worked the event: Bo Parsons, Carla Ash, Carol Steinberg, David Robins, Dorothy Dolan, Dorothy Donovan, Doug Block, Enid Roth, Gabriele Raacke, Gordian Raacke, Jane Umanoff, Jane Weissman, Kathy Masters, Kevin Coffey, Laura Microulis, Lucy Regan, Madelaine Haberman, Marty Meth, Melanie Cirillo, Nancy Keegan, Nick Stephens, Rand Stoll & Tom Regan Bakers: Barbara Czekola, Dorothy Dolan, Dorothy Roskam, Emily Reycroft, John de Cuevas, Lisa Pepe, Naomi Nemitz, Veronica Mahoney & Yvette DeBow From PLT: Lisa & Yvette Our good friends Joe Realmuto (Nick & Tony's), Rich Kresberg (Provisions), Jack Mazzola (Jack's Stir Brewed Coffee) & Cynthia Young (Amagansett Free Library) Photographer Tycho Burell
  
And everyone who came and ate and talked and laughed and saw old friends and made new ones. NEXT YEAR! Can you help share the load of organizing this event? For more info about co-coordinating the breakfast, contact Ronnie at qhfbreakfast@gmail.com VOLUNTEER THANKS! As we read in Scott's Weather Report, July is a busy month our farmers appreciate your help. To volunteer, contact Layton at 631.267.6492 or lguenther@peconiclandtrust.org. Many thanks to new volunteers Naomi and Orelio and continued thanks to Alex, Nikita, and Finny and his mom, Mare. DOWN IN THE VALLEY Member News ILLUSTRATED TALK Protest & Celebration: Community Murals in NYC Sunday, July 12 at 5 PM Fireplace Project, 851 Springs Fireplace Road, East Hampton  sponsored by Pollock Krasner House Jane Weissman looks at five decades of murals, tracking the evolution of themes and aesthetic styles and discussing their significance in the larger social, historical, and political context. WRITERS WORKSHOPS Sarabelle Prince continues her workshops at the Art Barge (Napeague  Meadow Road, Amagansett), exploring how -- through writing -- all the arts merge, overlap, influence each other. Saturdays from 10 AM to Noon, through August. Upcoming topics: July 11, Perspectives; July 18, Portraits; July 25, Chiaroscuro. Attend one session or the entire series. Register: www.theartbarge.org or 631.267.3172. Info:princeprints@yahoo.com  CALENDAR Tuesday, JULY 14 Seed Saving Workshop led by Matthew Goldfarb and Petra Page-Mann, co-owners and farmers of Fruition Seeds, based in the Finger Lakes. Learn why regionally adapted seeds are so important to the future of our food supply, and how to grow, harvest and store your own seeds. Bring a blanket or folding chair. In the Apple Orchard from 10 AM to Noon. $10/person, $5/QHF members. Rain moves the event indoors. Info: www.fruitionseeds.com Tuesday, AUGUST 11 Lost Ladybug Search Continues. From 10 AM to Noon. Free! Meet at the Farm Stand. Info: www.lostladybug.org. Heavy rain cancels. Sunday, AUGUST 23 At The Common Table dinner to benefit Quail Hill Farm. Cocktails at 4:30 by Farm Stand. Dinner at 6 in the Apple Orchard. Rain date: August 30. Ticket information will be sent out in July. FOR SALE AT THE FARM STAND & SHOP (Prices posted where sold) QHF Eggs (chicken & duck) Carissa's Breads made from QHF wheat Garlic Scape Pesto produced by AFI's South Fork Kitchens from QHF scapes Mary Woltz's Bees' Needs Honey from QHF hives Ronnybrook Farm Dairy's icecream, milk, yogurt drink, coffee milk, butter FARM ETIQUETTE Please help make harvesting an enjoyable experience for everyone. OBSERVE FARM HOURS: Fields open at 8 AM and close at 5:30 PM. OBSERVE SHARE LIMITS: Check the Farm Stand and Birch Hill boards as well as the signs at end of harvest rows. Ask a harvesting neighbor if in doubt. If no share limit is posted, harvest only what you can reasonably use until the next harvest day. HARVEST ONLY in rows headed by signs or poles with ribbons NO DOGS. NO CELL PHONES. Thank you!
Producing over 500 varieties of organically grown vegetables, flowers, fruit and herbs, QUAIL HILL FARM is located on 220 acres of land donated by Deborah Ann Light to Peconic Land Trust. For information concerning Quail Hill Farm, please contact Robin Harris at 631-283-3195 or by email, or visit us online at www.PeconicLandTrust.org/quail_hill_farm
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