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 Caryn Hayes. Your contributions--recipes, news and events, poems, photographs and drawings--are welcomed. Send them to [email protected]



An All Vegetable Edition...
To make harvesting more informed, selective and fun!
 
 
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:  Swiss Chard, Carrots, Collards, Cucumbers, Eggplant, Garlic, Husk/Ground Cherries, Onions, Potatoes: Red, White, Purple & Fingerlings, Raspberries, String Beans, Summer Squash & Zucchini, Tomatoes: Cherries & Standards, Tomatillos, Wheatberries, Peppers:  Hot & Sweet. 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, Cleome, Cosmos, Didiscus, Gallardia (Indian Blanket), Globe Amaranth, Rudbeckia (Prairie Sun), Scabiosa, Snapdragons, Statice, Stock, Strawflower, Sunflowers, Yarrow, Zinnias, Zulu Daisies 

 
COMING SOON!

Crops:  Potatoes: more, Tomatoes: more Cherries and Paste & Standards. Flowers: And still they come, 40+ varieties over the summer.

     

TOMATOES - A Note from Layton 
 
Cruising through the farm's tomato patch, you may have noticed that many of our earliest tomatoes have a dark, black blemish on their bottom or blossom-end. This unfortunate condition is aptly named "blossom end rot" (or BER) and is most commonly attributed to calcium deficiencies. Here on the farm, we take every precautionary measure to avoid BER. However with the unbelievable dry spell we had in July - when the tomatoes were growing and beginning to set fruit -  the calcium in the soil was unavailable to the plants; plants need adequate soil moisture to uptake calcium. But, there is GOOD news: Tuesday brought a generous 1.6" of rain! With any luck, we should be in the clear and newly ripened tomatoes should be rot-free. 
 
 
AT THE COMMON TABLE
Limited number of dinner tickets are still available
Cocktail only tickets available 



A magical evening under the stars in the Apple Orchard with great food by renowned East End chefs - Joe RealmutoColin AmbroseJason Weiner,
Jeremy Blutstein, Carissa Waechter, Laura Donnelly, Kathleen McCleland
paired with excellent wines from Channing Daughters 
and the incomparable company of farm members and guests.  
Cocktail hour by Peter AmbroseMadeline McLean of Madeline's Picnic Co. andArjun 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 [email protected]
 
Can you help with the SILENT AUCTIONDesired 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 [email protected] or 631.283.3195.  Thank you!



 

HARVESTING TIPS
 
Growing way in the back of Birch Hill, next to the peppers, are four long rows of 
TOMATILLOS and HUSK CHERRIES.
 
TOMATILLOS
A member of the nightshade family, tomatillos (Physalis philadelphica) are related to tomatoes - in Mexico, they are known as "tomate verde" or green tomato. Ranging in size from an inch to two inches in diameter and enclosed in in papery, outer husk, tomatillos have a firm, green exterior and white interior flesh. They are ready to harvest when the husks burst or, if you can't wait, when the fruit fully fills out the husk. Look for ripe fruit close to the ground. Don't eat overripe fruit that have developed a yellow hue.
 
Husk the fruit, rinsing off the sticky substance and removing the stemlike cap at the top. Raw, tomatillos have a firm texture and a fresh citrus-like flavor. They soften when cooked and can be blanched which mellows the flavor (add fruit to boiling water and cook two minutes and then continue with your recipe). They can be fire-roasted under a hot broiler or on a grill (you want them charred before they get mushy); this gives them a nice, smoky flavor. They can also be dry roasted which produces an earthy, nutty flavor (place fruit in a cast iron pan and cook on low heat for 20 to 30 minutes, turning occasionally). 
 
 
HUSK CHERRIES
Anyone tasting a ripe husk cherry for the first time is sure to exclaim, "This is amazing, it's so sweet, like candy." Sweet, yes, and tart at the same time. Another member of the nightshade family, the marble-sized, yellow-orange fruit of husk cherries (physalis pubescens) are hidden inside a straw-colored, papery husk. The fruits usually fall to the ground before they are ripe. Gather them up and store them, without removing their husks, in a basket until they ripen; their color will deepen from light yellow to a warm apricot gold. Husk cherries will stay fresh for up to three months if placed in a mesh bag and kept in a cool place (50�F). Eat them raw. Turn them into a sauce. Adding them (along with tomatillos) to the pan when roasting chicken or pork enriches the juices. 
 
Click here and here for Recipes.

 
 


EGGPLANT

Black Beauty produces large purplish-black fruit good for frying or stuffing. 
 



The fruits of Black King are large and oval with vivid dark purple skin. 
 



The large purple-black pear-shaped Florida High Bush have a creamy white flesh
 


Large and shiny purple, the traditional-shaped fruit of Irene are 5" across and 6-7" long.
 



From Spain, Listada de gandia's long white fruit sport bright purple stripes. 
 



The long, oval Nadia produces purple-black fruit. 
 




The long (8-10") and thin (1� -2�") Orient Charm comes in gorgeous shades of fluorescent pink, pastel pink, and white.
 



From Italy, the large, round lavender-purple Prosperosa has a pleated top shows and a touch of cream color at its stem end. 
 


The elongated Swallow is an Asian variety producing glossy purple-black fruit
 


A traditional French heirloom named after the city of Valence, Ronde de Valence's black fruit are almost perfectly round in shape. The size of a grapefruit with tender, tasty flesh, they are perfect for stuffing.
 

Rosa Bianca
produces light pink-lavender fruit with white shading
 
 



SWEET PEPPERS

Named for a town in Guatemala, 
Antigua produces 
long, tapering fuit that are rather refined looking. A bell variety, they start green and when bright red are very sweet and highly flavored.

 
The Italian Carmen is a bull's horn type (corno di toro), named for its elongated shape. Although its sweet flavor is present in early fruits, wait to pick them at their deepest red hue. A great roasting pepper.   


A
Bulgarian heirloom traditionally used for roasting,Chervena Chushka is also delicious fresh; the flesh is sugary sweet. The large tapered fruits measure 2" x 6" and ripen from green to brown to vivid red.
 
The smooth medium-small Chocolate Bell is a tapered, "snub nose" (blunt end) variety with long fruit stems. Very mild in flavor, its medium thick flesh under the skin is brick red.
 


Long (8") and tapered,
Corno di Toro Giallo (Yellow Bull's Horn) is a traditional Italian favorite thanks to its sweet and spicy flavor.
 


Italia
's large, 6" fruit are oblong and tapered; they start green and once red are very sweet.
 


The long (6-9") and slender fruits of Jimmy Nardello have an uncanny sweet, fruity flavor. While tempting and delightful eaten straight off the plant, traditional Italian cuisine uses them for frying; cut them into "coins." They begin green and ripen to red.

The cone-shaped Lipstick produces 4" heart-shaped peppers that are sweet, juicy, and thick-fleshed. Delicious raw, they are also great for roasting.
 

A popular Polish variety,
Marta Polka produces large, elongated bells that ripen to golden yellow.
 


An Italian frying pepper, the 4"
Melrose is an early variety and when brilliant red is rich and sweet in flavor.
 


One of the earliest peppers to mature, New Ace produces fruit with 3 to 4-lobes and medium thick walls. Turning red early, they are tender and sweet.


An early bell pepper, Peacework has medium thick walls and when red has good flavor and full-bodied sweetness.
 


The very large (4�" x 4�") Revolution produces very firm dark green fruit that mature to dark red.




Exceedingly flavorful with sweet juicy flesh, Sheepnose is very meaty and good for canning. Ripening from green to red, the fruits are round, oblate, and stylishly ribbed and keep an extraordinarily long time when refrigerated.
 
The Italian Stocky Red Roaster produces smooth skinned fruits with thick walls. The 4-6" fruits are juicy and sweet.
 

 

HOT PEPPERS

Hot peppers or chiles - to use the original Spanish-Mexican spelling - come in all sizes, shapes and colors, and have varied uses (described below). Chiles can be fairly mild or blisteringly hot, their heat measured by the Scoville Heat Index, developed by Wilbur Scoville in 1912. The mildest peppers (bell) - described above - hover at the bottom of the scale (0). In the middle are jalape�os and chipotles (2,500-10,000 units) and serranos and red cayenne (25,000-100,000 units). At the top are the habaneros (200,000-300,000 units). There are some cultivars bred especially for pain; they can score up to 1 million Scoville!
 
The heat comes from an alkaloid compound called capsaicin, concentrated in the membrane (placenta) surrounding a pepper's seeds. Capsaicin itself doesn't have any flavor; it stimulates pain receptors in the mouth rather than the taste buds. To keep the heat down, remove the membrane. However, the seeds resting near it absorb capsaicin, so your heat tolerance will determine how many of them you retain.
 
The large (4�-6�" Ancho Magnifico are thick-walled and turn from green to bright red.
 



The large (4
�-5" x 3") and dark fruits of Tiburon Ancho are thick fleshed and sweet. Moderately hot, they are traditionally used for chile rellenos.
 


A traditional pepper of Tunisia, Baklouti produces large red, tapering pods with a wonderful hot flavor, although they lose some of their heat with cooking.
 

Bulgarian Carrot Pepperproduces 3�" crunchy-fleshed fruit that ripen from green to fluorescent orange and has an intense fruity flavor. They are perfect for roasting, but the flavor is also great for pickles, salsas, chutney, and marinades.
 

Cayenne. Quail Hill grows both short and long varieties. The wrinkled, pencil-thin, thick-fleshed fruit can grow up 6" long. Very pungent, even when small, green cayennes appear in the summer, the heat increasing along with their fall red color. Named for the Cayenne district of French Guiana, they are used fresh in hot sauces, and dried or ground for cayenne pepper or pepper flakes. 
 
The long (4-6"), slightly twisting Golden Cayenne is sometimes slightly hotter than red cayenne. The fruits start out green and ripen to golden yellow, developing their most intense heat at full maturity.
 


The long (8-10"), slender Joe's Long Cayenne produces bright red fruit that taper to a skinny point. Packing medium heat, they are excellent for homemade hot sauce; they also dry well - good for hanging and dried hot pepper flakes.
 

Named for the tiny New Mexican village 25 miles south of Santa Fe,
Chimayo has twisted, knotted fruits that can easily be sun-dried, its skin taking on a lovely smoky flavor. At 4,000 to 6,000 Scoville heat units, these chilies are in the middle of the jalape�o pepper range.
 
The red, hot Polish Cyklon has well-flavored tapered fruits 5" long. Thanks to its thin flesh, it dries easily and is most often ground into a powder and used as a spice.  
 


A medium hot African-American heirloom, Fish was popular in the Philadelphia/Baltimore region and commonly used in fish and shellfish cookery. The 2�-3" fruit start off a creamy, pale yellow with light green stripes, then darken to yellow with green stripes. They move onto orange with dark green stripes and finally red; when fully mature, most lose their stripes.
 
The 3-4" Maya Red Habanero is lantern shaped and hot, its color changing from green to bright red.
 



Among the hottest chile grown, Orange Habanero produces small (1-1�") lantern- shaped, wrinkled fruits. Ripening from green to light orange, they are extremely pungent with an aromatic flavour and a clean but intense heat. For the uninitiated even a tiny piece can cause prolonged oral suffering. Yet, underneath the heat is a delicate plum-tomato apple-like flavor. Good in chutney and salsas, it can also be dried and powdered.
 
The 3�" x 2" Santa Fe-type Havasu turns from green to pale yellow and orange before reach its full red maturity.
 


The popular Jalape�o is 2-3" long has a good amount of heat and a rich flavor. In summer, eat the fruits while still green. In early fall when fully ripened, they turn crimson red.
 
From Peru, the thin-walled, conical Lemon Drop grows to 2-3" and ripens to a clear lemon yellow, sometimes with a dark purple blush. The flavor is a very clean and uncomplicated, with a slightly citrus-y heat. Also known as Aji Limon.
 
The fruit of the long, slender Little Finger are wrinkled and about as long as a finger. They start out light green and turn red when fully mature. Very popular in its native India, it is extra-hot and dries well.

 
Completely covering sprawling, low-growing, bushy plants, Matchbox produces small fruits in light greens, yellow greens, and reds, and packs a fruity, flavorful heat.
 


Named after the Spanish town where they originated, the fruits of Padr�n are usually harvested when they are 1-1�" long. About 1 out of 20 fruits will be hot, the rest mild. If allowed to grow to 2-3", the fruit becomes hot. As an appetizer, saut� them in a bit olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt.
 
A thin, pickling pepper, Pepperoncini have superb flavor and just a little heat. There are Greek and Italian types; both are �-1" in diameter, crinkly, and light green, ripening to red. The Italian type is usually 4-5" long; the Greek type is usually 2- 3" long.
 
The slender fruit of the mild Japanese Shishito is 2-4" long; it is usually harvested and used green. It eventually turns bright orange-red, attaining a slightly sweeter flavor. Its thick walls make it especially suited to roasting, pan-frying and grilling. Under heat it blisters and chars easily, taking on rich flavor. For a delicious appetizer, cook until soft, and sprinkle with sea salt.
 


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




FEED FEED 
 
Thanks to farm members Julie & Dan Resnick, originators of feedfeedwe are now receiving a bi-weekly email with links to inventive recipes vegetables currently available at the farm. This edition features tomatoes, eggplant, potatoes and zucchini/summer squash. The recipes can also be found on its website - www.feedfeed.info. 

 
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.

 

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. 

 
   
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 
  
 

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

the Peconic Land Trust. Quail Hill Farm is located on Deep Lane in Amagansett, NY, and harvest days are Saturday and Tuesday from 8 AM to 5:30 PM.  

  

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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  
or by email, or visit us online at www.PeconicLandTrust.org/quail_hill_farm 
 

The Peconic Land Trust conserves Long Island's working farms, natural lands,
and heritage for our communities, now and in the future.

For more information concerning the Trust, call us at 631.283.3195
or visit us online at www.PeconicLandTrust.org


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.