QUAIL HILL FARM E-NEWS

Celebrating its 26th season, Quail Hill Farm is a is a stewardship project of the Peconic Land Trust. Among the earliest CSAs (Community Supported Agriculture) in the nation, Quail Hill Farm brings together growers and community members on fertile soil in a relationship of mutual support.

Published monthly, the Quail Hill Farm E-News is written by farm member Jane Weissman and produced by Peconic Land Trust's Yvette DeBow and Erin Creedon. Your contributions--recipes, news and events, poems, photographs and drawings--are welcomed. Send them to quailhillnews@aol.com. 

Of DEBORAH ANN LIGHT 

I have told this story at Quail Hill Farm so many times over the years it must be woven into the textures of our fields. About 5 years following her donation of 20 acres of land to the Peconic Land Trust, in 1994, Deborah Ann Light was diagnosed with lung cancer; she was told that she had 6 months to live. She had a strong desire to settle her estate, so she set in motion a really great gift to the Trust, and to all of us-the donation of her remaining farmland, totaling almost 200 acres, the farmland and woodland that we have stewarded for 20 years now. Until now I would end the story with this: "And she is still alive!"

Although Deborah passed away on the 21^st of July her legacy is very much alive at Quail Hill: in the beech and holly, sycamore and oak, applewood and milkweed, the daffodils and narcissi that return every Spring in pockets in our woods. The legacy of this great lady - "who was known to enjoy making an entrance" - extends far beyond north Amagansett, but we are perhaps at the center of it. I was lucky enough to have shared many conversations with Deborah over the years; the subject was always the canvas immediately before us - the natural world. (Deborah wrote, in a forward to our cookbook: "And now is the time to remember for always/the succors of life: wind, sun, rain, and earth.")

When I asked her how it was she survived so long beyond the rather stark medical prediction she replied: "Prayer." Not her own prayers, but those of a community that will always hold reverence for the wisdom of the earth.

Visitors to Quail Hill often comment on a certain quality that informs the place, something it was our good fortune to inherit through Deborah, an inspired quilter: magic is woven into the fabric of our fields.

In my 2005 book, "The Common Ground," I wrote this about our "Hedgewitch" philanthropist:

"The rock that celebrates Deborah Light's gift of land is there, not far from the spreading limbs of a pin oak tree we planted in 1990. When the idea for a plaque was suggested, I searched the woodlands surrounding Quail Hill for the rock that would sing. I found it on a neighbor's land - six hundred pounds of granite - and he agreed to surrender the rock to honor Deborah. We moved it half a mile to where it now rests, by some miracle of tractor and trailer, and will. I remember having a certain lack of confidence in the procedure, and also my thought: "Will she like the rock?"

She does. The inscription reads: 

Deborah Ann Light Preserve

     192 Acres

Donated to the Peconic Land Trust

     January 25, 1995

In recognition of her love of the land

And her generosity to the community.

With the rock in place, secure on a new pillow of silt loam, Deborah is still engaged with this place. Speaking from near Main Street, Sag Harbor, her new home, she told me, "At one time, out for a walk, if I would climb Quail Hill and crouch down, and, if I really squinted with my eyes and looked out, I owned all the land I could see."

Today I happened to read in a book by the poet Lorine Niedecker some words that have relevance:

Black Hawk held: In reason

Land cannot be sold,

Only things to be carried away...

Deborah gave her land away because she did not consider it solely "hers." Land is not, as we have come to value it, only a bundle of rights; it is, as the conservationist Chuck Matthei, and before him, Native American elders, pointed out, a complex web of relationships. Deborah is linked to the land within that web, and we are entwined with the filament.

I remember her almost daily as I work with the land, because her gift is everywhere revealed - in the circus of blossoms that covers the hill, the stand of cedars in the center of the valley, in the heartwood of the beech trees. The granite stone bearing words honors her, as do the people who come to harvest from the land. She is, I believe, inextricably linked to the whole web of relationships that indigenous humans have honored for millennia. Common to this ground, one among many:

I speak from the hill near to the sea:

I am the wind that moves the grass.

I am the iron within the stone.

I am the water that seeks the valley.

I am the bark of oak, heartwood of holly.

I am the seed within the pod,

          Within the tear,

                   Within the tide.

I am the sky woman,

          Invisible within the wing

That touches ground and air

          To rise and sing...*

*My translation, suggested by the "Alphabet Calendar" of Amergin, sometimes considered to be the first poet of Ireland.

 

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.

Crops: Arugula, Swiss Chard, Carrots, Collards, Cucumbers, Eggplant, Garlic, Kale, Lettuce, Onions, Potatoes: Red, White, Purple & Fingerlings, Radishes, Raspberries, String Beans, Summer Squash & Zucchini, Tomatoes: Cherries, Wheatberries. Herbs: Basil, Bay, Borage, Chives, Cilantro, Dill, Bronze Fennel, Anise Hyssop, Lemon Balm, Lovage, Mint, Oregano, Parsley, Rosemary, Sage, Tarragon, Thyme.  Flowers: Agrostemma (Corn Cockles), Ageratum, Bachelor Buttons, Borage, Calendula, Cleome, Cosmos, Didiscus, Globe Amaranth, Irish Poets, Snapdragons, Statice, Stock, Strawflower, Sunflowers, Yarrow, Zinnias, Zulu Daisies 

COMING SOON!

Crops:  Peppers: Hot & Sweet, Potatoes: more, Tomatoes: more Cherries plus Paste & Standards, tomatillos, and husk cherries. Flowers: And still they come, 40+ varieties over the summer.

WEATHER REPORT

a conversation with Scott 

Late afternoon visitors to the farm on the very hot Saturday, July 25, got to witness the combining or mowing of the 6' high rye grass growing at the western end of Birch Hill. July's lack of rain made mowing conditions  just about perfect. As Scott says, "Having dry weather is definitely an advantage for certain crops. Usually after harvesting rye or wheat - which was combined a few days prior - we have to dry it further. Not this year. However, we still need to clean it."

Quail Hill and Amber Waves have a close partnership, either collaborating on or helping each other with farm operations. Amanda along with Amber Waves co-founder Katie Baldwin got their start in farming in 2008 as QHF apprentices.  It was they, too, who reintroduced the growing of wheat as a food crop on the East End.   

Quail Hill's half acre of white winter wheat -- used as pastry flour -- yielded

600 pounds of wheat berries which will be distributed to farm members (who can grind the berries into flour in the mill at the farm shop). Once clean, the berries will appear at the farm stand; those now available are from the 2014 harvest and are just about depleted.  

(Photos: Ryan Cooper)

 

LATE SUMMER SHARES NOW AVAILABLE!

Single Person & Family Shares

 

 

August, September and October are the most bountiful months 

of the farm season -- when late summer and early autumn crops 

overflow harvest baskets.  

 

  

 The fee for the remainder of the season - which runs through 

October 31 - will be pro-rated. 

INFO: Peconic Land Trust's Robin Harris

at 631.283.3195, ext. 19. 

AT THE COMMON TABLE

Sunday, August 23

an outdoor dinner to benefit Quail Hill Farm

  

A magical evening under the stars in the Apple Orchard with great food by renowned East End chefs - Joe Realmuto, Colin Ambrose, Jason Weiner,

paired with excellent wines from Channing Daughters 

and the incomparable company of farm members and guests.  

Cocktail hour by Peter Ambrose, Madeline McLean of Madeline's Picnic Co. and Arjun Achuthan with cocktails by Sweet'tauk Lemonade. 

Dinner tickets: $250 per person ($300 after August 17) 

Cocktails only: $60

Cocktails and a farm tour start at 4:30 PM in The Valley, followed by dinner at 6 PM

To volunteer with preparations, contact Julie Resnick at julieresnick@gmail.com

Can you help with the SILENT AUCTION? Desired items: art, wine, liquor, restaurant coupons, gift baskets, books, culinary items, event tickets, trip packages, etc.  If you can donate, obtain or have suggestions for items, please contact Lisa Pepe at lpepe@peconiclandtrust.org or 631.283.3195.  Thank you!

TALES FROM THE FIELD

as told by QHF farmers Ryan Cooper and Stefanie Katz 

THE DREAM TEAM

It was 9 o'clock in the morning on a perfectly blue day with no clouds in sight. The air was heavy and clothes stuck to every part of our bodies. Despite the hot temperature, we found themselves in the middle of the sweet potatoes on Town Lane North - with a hoe in hand, sunscreen on our exposed faces, arms and legs, sweat dripping down our backs. Time was irrelevant. Our task was to eliminate all the weeds among the sweet potato plants, and hoe in between to prevent new weeds from sprouting. With 500-foot long beds and weeds growing two feet tall, this was not an easy task. 

Scott had every confidence in his dream team - the most amazing, hard working people ever to work this job. Hailing from different parts of the country, we were Cait from Northern Cali; Stef from Minneapolis, MN; Cailyn from East Hampton, NY; Alex from Sag Harbor: Jess from Queens, NY; Gabe from Princeton, NJ; Armi from Jersey City, NJ; Greg from Rockland County, NY; Layton from Pelham, NY and, me, Ryan from Irvington, NY.

Despite the heat and punishing rays from the sun, we initially had smiles on our faces, and spirits were high. This did not last long. Trouble struck halfway through our task as the heat overwhelmed us. The 90 degree temperature had drained everyone's energy! Not even water could restore us to our full potential. As quick as lightning, Stef came to the rescue. Looking around and observing our low energy, she knew what needed to be done. Taking a couple minutes to ponder, Stef began to recite...

          BUCKWHEAT & BEES

A field of green and white sits

Silently from a distance

Slowly waking it's already hot

Gathering the ripe tomatoes

Huddled at the edge

Peering deep inside it's anything but still

Over the screech of the hawk you can hear them humming

An agenda of their own as they swarm the bed

They're working harder than I am

If only there was a way to harvest their energy

Without uttering a word, everyone looked at Stef in awe. The wind, moved by the beauty of the poem, stood still. Then, as if on cue, we all jumped up, screamed with joy and excitement, and continued on with our daunting task. Spirits soared and laughter carried us on - until the last weed was pulled from the bed. After completing this task, the dream team decided to stay longer and work together to defeat the weeds that were overtaking other crops - at least until lunch!

 

 

TOMATOES - 2015

Quail Hill's tomatoes - 35 varieties in all - are now ripening on the vine and it looks like a bountiful harvest.  The farm grows cherry, paste and standard tomatoes of all shapes, sizes and colors: red, pink, orange, yellow, purple and green. 

 

Except for Sun Gold and a few other early varieties, tomatoes grown at Quail Hill Farm are open pollinated varieties, and many are heirlooms.  Open-pollinated tomatoes have the ability, unlike hybrids, to reproduce seed true to type.  Heirloom tomatoes are open-pollinated varieties developed before 1940.

 

 

CHERRY

 

Appearing a bit later in the season, Black Cherry has the dusky color and complex, juicy flavor of the best black tomatoes.  

  

  

 

  

The large vines of Chadwick produce 1 oz. fruit that are deliciously sweet.

 

  

  

 

Mexico Midget plants produce hundreds of �-�" dark red cherries; huge flavor for such small fruits. 

   

 

 

Bearing small delicious fruits in prolific clusters, Principe Borghese is an Italian heirloom; it is often sun-dried as it has few seeds and little juice. 

  

   

 

The small, slightly elongated fruits of Purple Bumblebee are outrageously striped in lime green and bronzy-purple and have a sweet, complex flavor.  

  

  

 

Botanist breeders have crossed currant tomatoes with cherry tomatoes, and an outstanding result is Sungold, one of the first tomatoes to ripen; a bright tangerine orange, it is sweet with just a hint of acid tartness. 

 

 

Super Sweet 100 produces clusters of red 1" fruits that are round and sweet.

   

  

 

 

PASTE

 

The heart-shaped Amish Paste with thick, bright red, sweet flesh is meaty, has few seeds, and is good for eating fresh or making sauce. 

 

  

 

Early to mature and excellent for drying, the Italian  Aunt Mary's produces 2�-3�" fruits that are blocky and meaty. 

  

  

  

  

 

Heinz 2653 is  early maturing and has very firm and flavorful 3-4 oz. fruits that are perfect for canning. 

  

  

 

 

Large, elongated and pink, the 3-6" Mr. Fumarole has a rich, complex, flavor that is both tart and sweet. 

  

  

   

 

The large, slightly rectangular fruits of San Marzano have great flavor and are perfect for canning (when buying them in the store, this is the variety to look for).

  

  

 

Red with yellow and orange iridescent streaks down its side, the gorgeous Speckled Roman produces a meaty fruit and makes great sauce.

  

  

 

STANDARD TOMATOES

RED

 

For an early hybrid tomato, the French round slicer Carmello is impressive for its generous 10-12 oz. fruit and well-developed flavor characterized by a good sugar/acid balance. 

  

  

 

A small slicer, Howard's Red is named after a frequent farm visitor (and kale lover) who years ago sent Scott some tasty tomatoes from his native California where, he wrote, "they know how to grow tomatoes. So why waste time at it in the northeast?"  

  

  

The early maturing Legend is an amazingly sweet slicing tomato, whose round, glossy fruit have just the right amount of acid flavor. 

  

  

 

 

Moskvich hails from eastern Siberia and has deep red skin. 

  

 

  

 

 

 A great salad tomato, Mountain Magic, has round 2-oz. fruit and a very sweet flavor. 

  

  

 

 

A cross  between farm favorite Green Zebra and an unknown red, the tangy Red Zebra * produces gorgeous 2�" round fruits that are blood-red overlaid with jagged carrot-orange stripes. 

  

 

  

Rutgers  is as terrific for canning as for slicing; the 8-oz. fruits have a rich red interior and a great old time flavor.

  

  

  

PINK

  

A meaty pink-red beefsteak Ponderosa can grow up to 2 pounds and is perfect for slicing or canning. 

   

  

  

 

The large Rebekah Allen is a good slicer and boasts superb flavor -- an ideal balance of sweet to tart, with complex "old fashioned" undertones. 

  

  

  

With smooth translucent pink skin, the perfectly round, medium-sized Rose de Berne has both robust flavor and rich sweetness. 

  

  

 

  

The 8-12 oz. fruits of the beefsteak Weisnicht's Ukrainianare sweet in flavor - rich and complex with delicious acid overtones.

   

  

  

 

ORANGE / YELLOW

  

Juicy and very sweet, Garden Peach is a French heirloom; the small 2-oz. yellow fruits blush pink when ripe and have fuzzy skins like peaches. 

  

  

 

The beautiful apricot-shaped fruit of Jaune Flamm�e grow in clusters and have a deep orange color and an excellent bitey flavor. 

 

 

 

  

Orange Blossom is an early tomato with medium, firm globe-shaped fruits and mild flavor balanced with a little acidity. 

 

 

   

 

A pronounced point at its blossom end gives Orange Strawberry a perfect heart shape; the meaty bright orange fruit, which can reach 1 pound, are robust, complex and tart in flavor and are good for canning and sauce. 

  

 

 

The large, bright orange Valencia has a meaty interior with few seeds and weighs 8-10 oz. 

  

   

 

  

The 2" f ruit of the fuzzy, pale yellow-skinned Wapsipinicon Peach has a blush tint when ripe and a sweet fruity flavor. 

 

   

 

  

With an identifiable ring scar at the blossom end, Yellow Brandywine produce large slightly ribbed, 1-pound fruits; it is creamy in texture and has a rich, complex, tangy flavor.

 

 
  

PURPLE

 

A Russian variety, the globe-shaped Black Prince is an iridescent garnet in color, and its 5-7 oz. fruit have outstanding flavor. 

  

   

 

  

The fruit of Cherokee Purple originally cultivated by the Cherokee people and thought to be more than 100 years old, have a dusky pink skin and wonderfully sweet, purplish-pinkish-brownish flesh. 

 

   

 

A Russian variety, the delicious Paul Robeson honors the great operatic singer and civil rights advocate.   

 

  

 

 

GREEN

 

Green Zebra with its various shades of yellow-green stripes has a sweet zingy flavor. 

   

 

  

 

 

 

FARM POT LUCK SUPPER

 

Many thanks go to everyone who made the July 12th Pot Luck supper such a lovely event, one that rivaled the loveliness of the mid-summer evening.

 

 

 

Christine Sciulli, who beautifully coordinated the event, thanks one and all for bringing such inventive and delicious food, and gives a shout out to...

 

Nika Nesgoda, Natalia and Willow for fabulous flower harvesting and arranging.

 

Pam, Lisa and Yvette from PLT for for behind the scenes coordination, spreading the word, ace in the hole/boots on the ground event assistance, and s'mores.

 

Harriet for being on deck and pitching in.

 

Pitt and Layton for sharing a beautiful sing-along. 

 

      

 

 

Scott and Layton for just about everything that had to do with the night's success.

 

Gretchen Comly and Ross Watts for a cleanup endeavor like no other.

 

Tycho Burwell for capturing the light of the evening and the great photos.

   

 

 

VOLUNTEER THANKS!

  

Our farmers always appreciate your help especially during these hot days of summer when weeds, along with sweat, run rampant.  To volunteer, contact Layton at 631.267.8492 or lguenther@peconiclandtrust.org.

 

Many thanks to stalwart volunteers Alex (pictured) and

Naomi and to Gen, Teddy, Colin, Jack and Harry.  

 

 

 

DOWN IN THE VALLEY

Member News

 

 

CONDOLENCES

QHF extends heartfelt sympathy to Marcia Tucker whose husband David Disick, biking to Montauk, was hit by a car and died a few days later. A talented painter and an avid sailor, David, more often than not, would arrive at the farm on his bike. "David was most inquisitive," recalls Scott. "He always had a question about a crop or wanted to know about planting techniques or farm operations. He was always bringing friends to the farm, introducing them to the purpose and benefits of Community Supported Agriculture. He will be greatly missed."  

ELAINE DE KOONING AT POLLACK-KRASNER 

Connie Fox, one of the original Quail Hill Farm CSA members will join a panel this Sunday for the opening of Elaine de Kooning Portrayed at the Pollack-Krasner House (830 Springs-Fireplace Road, East Hampton) this Sunday, August 9 at 5 pm. The panel, "Elaine de Kooning Among Friends," moderated by Helen Harrison, will also include Phyllis Braff, Regina Cherry and Edvard Lieber. The exhibition, of self-portraits, likenesses and reflections, will be on view through October 31. Info: http://sb.cc.stonybrook.edu/pkhouse/index.shtml

 

AMAGANSETT FARMERS MARKET

Now open!   

Daily except Wednesday from 7 AM to 6 PM

The beloved market has new life thanks to Amagansett Food Institute, directed by Kathleen Masters, seen here with John deCuevas, a driving force behind AFI, at the market's opening festivities. Operated as a retail food outlet, the market will, in keeping with AFI's mission, feature produce from member farms and locally prepared foods, including those made at AFI's South Fork Kitchens on the SUNY Southampton campus. The market will soon offer food related programs and events, with the aim of reintroducing people to seasonality and a more traditional relationship with food.

HARDLY ELEMENTARY

Those seeing the new film Mr. Holmes starring Sir Ian McClellen will find their ears attuned to the hauntingly beautiful score by Carter Burwell.  Congratulations!

 

LET THERE BE LIGHT

Try to catch Christine Schiulli's exhibition Luminary at Temporary Storage (119 Ingraham Street, Bushwick, Brooklyn) before its August 5 closing. Closing party: Saturday 6-10 PM. Info: christinesciulli.net. For viewing outside public hours: curator Hazel Lee Santino (text 707-599-5277). Seen here: Phase Shift 75:140. Photo � Tycho Burwell.

 

YOU ARE YOU

This eye-opening exhibition by Lindsay Morris documents an annual weekend summer camp for gender-nonconforming children and their families. Offered a temporary safe haven, children can freely express their interpretations of gender without feeling the need to look over their shoulders. Through August 21 at ClampArt, 531 West 25 Street, Manhattan. Info: 646.230.0020 or info@clampart.com.

 

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: 8/8: En Plein Air Writing; 8/15: Minimal Writing; 8/22: Action Writing. Attend one session or the entire series. Register: www.theartbarge.orgor 631.267.3172. Info: princeprints@yahoo.com or 631.324.6143.

ILLUSTRATED TALK 

Man of Fire: Jos� Clemente Orozco

Wednesday, August 26 at 7:30 PM, Montauk Library

Jane Weissman looks at the life and work of Mexican muralist Jos� Clemente Orozco (1883-1949), whose stinging characterizations of oppression, hypocrisy and greed were equally critical of government, the church and military. Like his Man of Fire, he braved the flames, arriving at truths that still resonate today. Info: www.montauklibrary.org. 

 

SEED LIBRARIES 

Check out this wonderful review of Seedtime by Scott Chaskey

in the August 2015 issue of the Seed Libraries Newsletter. Go to www.seedlbraries.net, click Issue #7, and scroll down to Bookworm. Sprouting up around the country and run for the public benefit, seed libraries are places where gardeners/farmers can get seeds for free or a nominal fee.  Forming a network of seed savers to create locally adapted varieties, they preserve genetic diversity and respond proactively to climate change or loss of gene integrity due to GMOs.  

 

 

 

  

 

CALENDAR

 

 

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. Tickets on sale now. Contact: Robin Harris at PLT -- 631.283.3195 ext. 19 or RHarris@PeconicLandTrust.org  

  

FOR SALE AT THE FARM STAND & SHOP

(Prices posted where sold)

 

QHF Hats 

 

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 ice cream, 

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. And please do no leave them in your hot cars. 

 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