What’s New at Quail Hill Farm

Those of you who participated in the winter share at Quail Hill Farm (QHF) will know that we had an abundant and fulsome harvest: winter squash, carrots, sweet potatoes, garlic, potatoes, greenhouse-grown salad, and other crops were made possible by the careful planning and execution of our stellar 2021 farm crew.

And likewise, this coming season will prove abundant on account of the studious crop planning skills of Madison Aldrich, our new Farm Manager. Having spent the past two seasons at QHF as an advanced apprentice, and as someone who grew up in East Hampton, Madi is ready to hit the ground running.

Also joining the team this season is Lawrence Zietz, our new Propagation and Flower Coordinator. Lawrence will help oversee all of the propagation for the farm, including our Memorial Day Plant Sale (Saturday, May 28th), as well as the cut flower program on Birch Hill. An experienced farmer with many years of experience in different operations, we’re excited to welcome Lawrence to the QHF management team.

For the coming season, we’re expanding our efforts for broader accessibility for our East End community. Our sliding scale payment structure continues for a second year to offer equitable access to our CSA shares; and new for 2022, we will accept EBT and SNAP benefits at our farmers markets this season. In addition, signage and membership information will be updated to be bilingual in Spanish and English.

We’re launching our third season of our highly successful Farm to Food Pantry Program, a large-format CSA for our partners at the Bridgehampton Child Care Center. This year, we’re building that program to include monthly cooking demos for client families of the Center. Thanks to broad support from our membership base, we’re able to continue this partnership free-of-charge to the Center and their clients.

Now entering our third year growing during the global pandemic, we continue to envision the tools we need to hone the building blocks of this Community Farm (stewardship, nourishment, connection), examine and improve those tools to meet the challenges of “the New Normal.” By joining QHF, you’re supporting a local food movement that is woven from these values, pushing us towards an East End food system that is equitable, accessible and bountiful.

Adapted from a note from Quail Hill Farm Director Layton Guenther, LGuenther@PeconicLandTrust.org. Interested in joining the farm for summer 2022?