Amagansett, NY
Quail Hill Farm
- Project Type
- Stewardship, Farms for the Future
- Acreage
- 35
- Things To Do
- Birdwatching, Photography, Nature Study, Gardening
- Address
660 Old Stone Hwy
Amagansett NY, 11930
About
Quail Hill Farm (QHF), one of the original Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farms in the U.S., is a stewardship project of the Peconic Land Trust located in Amagansett, New York, on land donated by Deborah Ann Light.
Since it was established in 1990, Quail Hill Farm has grown to 20 acres serving over 250 families.
The community farm also delivers fresh food to local restaurants and food pantries, and administers a Farm to Food Pantry program (a wholesale-style CSA) in partnership with The Center.
A central part of our mission at Quail Hill Farm is to educate the public concerning such issues as soil health, our seed supply, food security, and sustainable, organic farming practices.
Farm to Food Pantry Program
Entering its 5th year in 2024, Quail Hill Farm and The Bridgehampton Child Care and Recreational Center (aka, The Center) continue our impactful, and much-needed, one-of-a-kind partnership on the East End. The Farm to Food Pantry Program brings organically and sustainably grown produce from Quail Hill Farm to The Center’s food pantry – and because QHF donor support underwrites the cost of growing and distributing this produce, cost is not a barrier for the farm or The Center.
How this partnership came to be.
The program began in March 2020 when a Quail Hill Farm member made a $5,000 gift with the desire to get fresh produce from the farm to people in need. This donation sparked an “ah-ha!” moment: we saw that the farm had an opportunity to reach even more people in need with our produce, provided we could figure out a way to cover the costs and meet the needs of members of our community.
With the knowledge that The Center operated a small food pantry that served people across the South Fork, we contacted The Center’s Executive Director, Bonnie Cannon. Bonnie shared some staggering numbers: before the onset of COVID-19, The Center’s food pantry operated once a month and provided food to 70 people. By March of 2020, that number rose to about 450 people per week (and by the end of 2020, The Center was providing food to 700 or more people per week). After the initial conversation with The Center about a potential collaboration, Trust and farm staff put together a budget that would cover the costs to provide fresh produce to The Center through the 2020 growing season.
Thanks to an initial $25,000 grant from All for the East End (AFTEE) at the Long Island Community Foundation (LICF), and additional donations from farm and community members, the farm raised $55,000 in its first year to enable direct distribution of produce from our Amagansett fields to Bridgehampton. This budget enabled an 18-week Farm to Food Pantry program to thrive: Quail Hill farmers picked, packed, and delivered over 22,000lbs of vegetables to The Center — usually all in the same day, which is key to ensuring peak nutritiousness of the food. Among many other crops, the farm delivered over 1,500 bunches of collard greens and kale, 2,000lbs of tomatoes, and 1,000lbs each of sweet peppers, potatoes, winter squash and sweet potatoes.
The need is still great, and we need your help to continue this program!
In 2025, our Farm to Food Pantry program continued for its 6th year in partnership with our friends at The Center.
To learn more or to make a donation in support of the Farm to Food Pantry program, contact Vice President of Agricultural Programs Melanie Tebbens at 631.283.3195.
Meet Your Farmers
Madison Aldrich, Farm Manager
Hi, I'm Madison (she/her), but you can call me Madi! This will be my sixth season as Farm Manager and fifth season at Quail Hill overall, having started as an Advanced Apprentice back in 2020. I am a third generation Bonacker, and grew up in East Hampton, in the northwest woods area. I attended the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry up in Syracuse, NY and was pulled back home shortly after graduating to continue my passion in farming. I feel incredibly honored to be able to tend this silt loam soil and feed my community! If you see me in the fields, I will probably be fixated on what I'm working on, but it is a goal of mine to get to know you all more this season so please don't hesitate to pull me aside to chat 🙂
Learn More
Experience Quail Hill Farm at Home
Click here for a slew of recipes contributed over the years by Quail Hill Farm members and compiled by farm member Jane Weissman!
Quail Hill Farm Through the Seasons: Photos by Michael Halsband
Check out our blog and see all the beautiful moments photographer Michael Halsband captured at the farm over 2017.
When visiting Quail Hill Farm, there's always something new to see, Michael Halsband's photos definitely display that diversity
Videos
A Virtual Tour? Check out Alec Hirschfeld's documentary video, Out Here in the Fields: Quail Hill Farm:
Video loading...A central part of our mission at Quail Hill is to educate the public concerning such issues as soil health, our seed supply, food security, and sustainable, organic farming practices. Connecting people with land in this way builds a community that will appreciate and support the stability, integrity, and beauty of the bioregion.
Check out this video by My Long Island TV for a virtual tour of the farm!
Video loading...And this interview by The Kitchn featuring poet/farmer Scott Chaskey, former Director of Quail Hill Farm, talking about what it means to be part of a CSA:
Video loading...Visitor Info
Quail Hill Farm operates a Community Supported Agriculture farm, offering both summer and winter shares. The farm is also the location for educational and recreational events offered by the Trust throughout the year.
Interested in visiting the farm to learn more? Call us at 631-267-8492.
Directions: Parking for shareholders and visitors to Quail Hill Farm is on Deep Lane in Amagansett. Please park on the left alongside the fields and walk into the orchard at the dirt driveway across the street or up onto Birch Hill.
Winter shareholders and summer box shares, pickups at the shop, located at 660 Old Stone Highway.
Please be advised, all motorized vehicle access is limited to Quail Hill Farm vehicles only.
Things To Do
Birdwatching
Photography
Nature Study
Gardening
Connecting people with land builds a community that will appreciate and support the stability, integrity, and beauty of the bioregion. In addition to the ways to get involved listed below we offer educational programming for school groups and children of all ages to visit Quail Hill to help with seeding, transplanting, and harvesting.
Interested in honoring a loved one or commemorating a milestone? Support our Memorials at Preserves program and deepen your connection to this special place.