Author: Bryan Housel

Mexican Street Corn (aka Elotes)

Mexican Street Corn (aka Elotes)

This Mexican street corn recipe found on Simply Recipes is a staple of summer and it’s easy to make at home!  Top char-grilled corn on the cob with a tangy, creamy sauce, sprinkle with crumbled cheese and dive in. Make this for your next backyard cook-out!  Note that if you can’t find cojita cheese in your grocery store, it’s ok to omit or substitute another cheese.

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Circle Brook Farm

Farm News – August 12, 2024

Hi Folks, We were spared by the remnants of Hurricane Debby last week. Another two inches of rain fell but the worst of the winds seemed to have passed to our north. The plastic was ripped off one of our small greenhouses, but no other damage was sustained.

This week’s share will be much like the last – we are continuing to send ground cherries to those who have not yet received them. Beans are back for everyone, and we have some nice lettuce. Those who received melons last time will get corn this time around and vice versa. We are holding off on the peppers to allow them to start ripening to red, yellow, and orange. After eight weeks straight of summer squash, we will give it a rest this time. (more…)

Southern-Style Green Beans

Southern-Style Green Beans

These Southern-style green beans, found on the Spicy Southern Kitchen food blog, are flavored with lots of bacon, and cooked long and slow until they’re melt-in-your-mouth tender. You’ll want to cook them for at least an hour, preferably closer to 2 hours, to get them really soft, but not mushy.  Just before serving, you can mix in a Tablespoon or so of butter to give the green beans a buttery coating.  Serves 6. (more…)

Circle Brook Farm

Farm News – August 5, 2024

Hello Folks! So, we have quickly gone from not enough rain to way too much. We received nearly two inches in the past 4 days, and the worst part is that it has come with powerful storms and damaging winds. One of our greenhouses was severely damaged and two exceptionally large and many smaller trees have fallen on our fences. Additionally, the trellising for our tomatoes and cucumbers has been damaged, as has the netting we suspended over the watermelons to keep the crows from destroying the crop. The saturated ground makes it impossible to seed fall crops and difficult to dig the potato crop. But we do what we must- we have already partially repaired the greenhouse and are working on clearing the trees and mending the fences. (more…)

Circle Brook Farm

Farm News – July 29, 2024

Hi Everyone! We have not had much rain this past week, but at least the temperatures have been moderate. We have a few chances for precipitation during the week ahead, which would be appreciated. We add another member of the Solanums to the line up this week – peppers. We will be sending green ones for the next few weeks until they begin to ripen to red, yellow, and orange. (more…)

Ratatouille

Ratatouille

It’s that time in the summer when our CSA shares give us everything we need to make ratatouille!  There are many recipes for this classic French stew, but one our our favorites comes from The New Laurel’s Kitchen Cookbook. It is so simple, and with fresh ingredients the flavors just shine through. (more…)

Carrot Cake

Great Grandma’s Sheep-Wagon Carrot Cake

If you find yourself with extra carrot culls, try Great Grandma’s Sheep-Wagon Carrot Cake (found at Cooks.com).  My recipe is more than 30 years old and was given me by my sister-in-law. I googled the name on an off chance and there it was, almost identical.  I always used a bit less sugar, and maybe a touch more butter but it makes great muffins too (just shorten baking time).  The cake doesn’t need a frosting, but if you like frosting you can add this one from Allrecipes.com. (more…)

Circle Brook Farm

Farm News – July 22, 2024

Hi All! We finally received some substantial precipitation last week. In total nearly two inches of the wet stuff fell – a torrential downpour in the afternoon and then more heavy rain overnight. More than we would have liked of course, but we are accustomed to the “feast or famine” nature of the weather these days. (more…)