Westfield Area CSA Blog

Chicken and Bok Choy Stir-Fry

Chicken and Bok Choy Stir Fry

This recipe uses many of the vegetables we will be getting this week!  Stir frying is a versatile way to put your CSA veggies to good use.  You can really substitute almost any other vegetable for the ones listed in this recipe and it will still turn out great.  Use your imagination!   For a vegetarian option, leave out the chicken, use tofu or other protein, and use vegetable stock.

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Circle Brook Farm

Farm News – June 12, 2023

Hi Folks, So here we go, let’s get this party started! As I write, the rain has begun; the first significant precipitation in 6 weeks. Perhaps that is why I am in a festive mood. We have been busy moving the sprinklers around the fields, trying to get the seeds to germinate, the seedlings to grow, and the peas to plump up their pods. Now that I have my full crew in place, we are back on track. The summer crops are growing nicely, and the spring crops are beginning to mature. The peas have flowering profusely, and the first English peas will be ready by the end of the week. We have nice lettuce and beautiful spinach as well as the first zucchini of the season. (more…)

Spinach

Spinach

Calorie for calorie, leafy green vegetables like spinach provide more nutrients than any other food.  Spinach is thought to have originated in ancient Persia.  Spinach made its way to China in the 7th century when the king of Nepal sent it as a gift to this country.  Spinach has a much more recent history in Europe than many other vegetables.  It was only brought to that continent in the 11th century, when the Moors introduced it into Spain.  In fact, for a while, spinach was known as “the Spanish vegetable” in England. (more…)

Garlic Scape Pesto

Garlic Scape Pesto

Pesto is a great way to use the garlic scapes in our CSA shares!  For ½ pound short pasta such as penne, add about 2 Tablespoons of pesto to cooked pasta and stir until pasta is well coated.  You can also freeze your pesto for use later in the year – try freezing it in an ice cube tray to make small handy pesto portions. (more…)

Christine's Quiche

Christine’s Quiche

A CSA member, Julia Egan, sent us the following easy recipe for those yummy summer squash we are now beginning to savor. You can’t get much simpler. (more…)

Circle Brook Farm

2023 Registration

Happy winter everyone! It is time to register for the 2023 CSA season!   Know your farmer. Know your food.

CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture.  CSA members pre-pay for “shares” in a local organic farm at the beginning of the season in March when the farmer most needs the money. Then during the harvest from June through November, the farmer delivers a weekly assortment of vegetables, herbs, and some fruit.

100% of your food dollars go to the person who is growing it. You support sustainable, local agriculture and get freshly picked organic produce at reasonable prices.  In addition, you know the farmer growing your vegetables and can visit the farm – establishing a personal connection with your food supply. (more…)

Circle Brook Farm

Farm News – November 14, 2022

Hi Everyone, So, we have reached the end of the line for this season.  I would say the finish line, but my crew and me still have several more weeks to finish out the season.  There is still some garlic to be planted, the stock up shares to put together, and various root crops to harvest for storage through the winter and into next spring.  And there are a myriad of other chores to be done, to put the farm to bed for the winter.  As I mentioned last week, we are entering a very cold stretch of weather.  We have been busy harvesting many of the crops that will be in the shares this week and in the stock-up before they are damaged.  And we have been moving many of the crops in storage into the barn where they can be better protected from the cold nights ahead. (more…)

Parsnips

Parsnips

The parsnip is a root vegetable related to the carrot, but white or cream colored and sweeter. Up until the potato arrived from the New World, its place in dishes was occupied by the parsnip and other root vegetables such as the turnip. (more…)

White Root Bisque

White Root Bisque

This is a delicious seasonal soup, served at Michael’s on the Hill restaurant in Waterbury, Vermont, close to Stowe. The recipe serves 6 but can easily be doubled and it freezes well. (more…)