Author: Bryan Housel

Circle Brook Farm

Farm News – October 6, 2025

Hello Folks! So, it was another beautiful weather week with no rain. We have a chance of getting some showers Tuesday night into Wednesday morning- we can only hope. We may also have our first frost of the fall later this week. If we do it only be a light one, affecting only the most sensitive plants such as basil and sweet potatoes. We have already begun digging the sweet potatoes and this week you will be digging them too! (more…)

Spaghetti Squash

Spaghetti Squash

Spaghetti squash is an oblong yellow colored winter squash that is named for the spaghetti like nature of its flesh.  When raw, the flesh is hard and generally orange or yellow in color.  When cooked, it comes apart in ribbons, giving it the appearance of spaghetti. (more…)

Spaghetti Squash with Tomatoes and Basil

Spaghetti Squash with Tomatoes and Basil

Here’s another great spaghetti squash recipe from steamykitchen.com.  If you’re only feeding 4-6 people, I suggest cooking the spaghetti squash whole, then only using half of the squash when you’re ready to sauté with the tomatoes.  I like my spaghetti squash not too hard, not too soft. It shouldn’t be mushy, you should be able to still separate the strands of squash.  Serves 8-10. (more…)

Kohlrabi-Apple Slaw

Kohlrabi-Apple Slaw

This recipe, found in this month’s Food Network Magazine and which serves 4 as a side, is a surprising and refreshing alternative to regular coleslaw given most people’s lack of familiarity with this vegetable. Give it a try — that’s what a CSA is all about! (more…)

Circle Brook Farm

Farm News – September 29, 2025

Hello everyone! First, as always, the weather report. We had ¾” of rain last week. It was not nearly what we were hoping for, but enough to keep us from total despair. The mild temperatures and abundant sunshine are certainly a worthy consolation, and a great benefit to the crops and those who tend them. (more…)

Onions

Onions

Onions are part of the allium family of vegetables and herbs, which also includes chives, garlic, scallions, and leeks. Allium vegetables have been cultivated for centuries for their characteristic, pungent flavors and for their medicinal properties – these vegetables have been linked to a lower risk of certain cancers, including stomach and colorectal. A nutrient-dense food, onions are low in calories and high in beneficial nutrients like vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. (more…)

Stewed Escarole with Feta

Stewed Escarole with Feta

Besides using escarole in soups, this is one of my favorite recipes for this veggie. We included it a few years ago in one of our CSA newsletters and it got good reviews so whether you are a new, or even a more “seasoned” member, give it a try.  I hope you will like it, too.  The recipe serves about 6 as a side but you can also serve with pasta as a main dish.
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Circle Brook Farm

Farm News – September 22, 2025

Hi Folks! The beautiful weather continues, so long as you are not a duck or a farmer. We have a chance at some precipitation around mid-week, keep your fingers crossed! I will do my version of a rain dance – head out into the field with my little seeding tractor (Allis Chalmers G) to try to do some planting. If there is any moisture up there in the clouds, that is usually a sure-fired way to coax it down. In the meantime, the sprinklers are spinning, and the pumps are humming. (more…)

Leeks

Leeks

Leeks, known scientifically as Allium porrum, are related to garlic, onions, shallots, and scallions. Leeks look like large scallions, having a very small bulb and a long white cylindrical stalk of tightly wrapped, layered leaves.  With a more delicate and sweeter flavor than onions, leeks add a subtle touch to recipes without overpowering the other flavors that are present. (more…)