Author: Bryan Housel

Hello Everyone, Rain, rain, rain, rain!  I know it seems that all I do is complain about the weather, but it’s hard to get our planting done in the mud.  The crops are loving it though – the peas and the brassica family are water lovers and are thriving.  We actually dodged a bullet over the weekend as the heaviest rain passed to the south, and we received only about an inch. (more…)

Hello Everyone, So it never rains but it pours, isn’t that the saying? After nearly 6 weeks without rain it has now been raining regularly and a little heavier than I would like. We were almost caught up with our planting schedule and now have fallen behind again, due to many days of sodden soils that keep us from preparing the beds for planting. But the veggies are growing beautifully! I have also been trying to take off some of my cover crops baled as hay to later use for mulch, which is also confounded by the wet conditions. It’s time to plant the pumpkins and winter squash but I can’t plow the ground until I take the hay off. You’ve got to make hay while the sun shines! Literally! (more…)

Hello Everyone!  So here we go — we have arrived at the first week of CSA deliveries. As previously mentioned we got off to a very late start with our planting this year thanks to another interminable winter. The first delivery will be a bit smaller than in previous seasons. We have some potatoes held over in cold storage from last season which we will be shipping this week and next as supplies last. (more…)

Hello Folks, Welcome to the 2015 Circle Brook Farm CSA season! As you may have noticed it was another long hard winter!  We have been busy in the greenhouse since the ides of March, but were not able to start working the ground until Mid-April.  April 23 was the first day of work for many of my field crew and it was an overcast, blustery one with intermittent snow flurries all day. I’m sure they were wishing they could have remained in their tropical clime a bit longer. Since then the weather has gotten nice; unfortunately “nice” for most people is not always the best for farming. (more…)

It’s time to sign up for the 2015 season!

The price for the 2015 season is $650, with a $25 discount if paid in full by March 1 (That’s only $25/week for the early birds).

You can put down a non-refundable deposit of $200 to save your share. Your share must be paid in full by June 1. Remember paying in full before March 1 gets you the discount. If you have extenuating circumstances and need to work out a payment plan we can work with you.

Email westfieldcsa@gmail.com for more information or click here to download an application form.

As before, you can split a share with someone else. If you need help finding someone to split with, let us know and we will pair you up as I get requests, or add a comment below.

2014 season members will be guaranteed a spot in the CSA if registered by Feb 8. After that registration is first come, first served.

Share this information with anyone who may be interested in joining the Westfield Area CSA!

Hello Everyone, So we have arrived at the end of the season. I know that it’s a sad moment for many of you, but as you can imagine I and my crew are happy that the end is in sight. My workers are anxious to return to their families and their tropical climate. I am looking forward to a rest and a respite from the worry and stress that seems to be an inevitable part of my occupation. (more…)

Hi Folks, As we head into the final weeks of the season winter weather is already rearing it’s ugly head. In last week’s episode I mentioned feeling frustration; my mood at present can best be described as mildly depressed. Most of you have just recently had your first frost, but out here we are a bit farther north and at a slightly higher elevation. I’ve lost track of how many frosts and hard freezes we’ve had so far. It doesn’t really matter much anymore since the tender crops are done and what is left in the field is fairly hardy. (more…)

We will be offering one additional share to be delivered during the week of November 23rd (Thanksgiving week). This will be a “stock up” share and will include various vegetables that store well, so that you will be able to enjoy produce from the farm well into the winter months, as well as provide veggies for your Thanksgiving table. The total weight of this share will be between 50 and 60 lbs. Approximately a third of the share will be an assortment of butternut, acorn, buttercup (kabocha), delicata, and sweet dumpling squash. The share will also include an assortment of root vegetables such as carrots, beets, parsnips, turnips, celery root, and radishes. I expect that the root crops will comprise about 12 lbs. of the share. (more…)

Hello Everyone, so it’s November now; a frustrating month for farmers, or at least I find it so. The combination of short days, cold soil temperatures and even colder nights slows the growth and maturation of the crops to a snail’s pace. Frequent overcast days exacerbate the situation. The brassica crops grew a bit slowly during the dry period in late summer. Now that they have adequate moisture the limiting factors are warmth and sunshine. I look out over fields of broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage; big beautiful plants, and wonder when they will make heads. Will they delay until just before one of the bitterly cold nights that are all but certain to arrive in the weeks to come, only to be frozen solid and ruined? (more…)

Hi Everyone, We had a nice group of folks out here on the farm last Saturday for a tour and a campfire. It’s always a pleasure to meet the members and especially the children that are being raised on our veggies. Thanks to those who came out on Sunday and helped break apart garlic bulbs to prepare them for planting. These were the last two farm events for the season. Next year I plan to host more events and provide more frequent opportunities for members to see the farm and learn how their food is grown. (more…)