Westfield Area CSA

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Westfield Area CSA Blog

Circle Brook Farm

News

23 Jan, 2023

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

News

14 Nov, 2022

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

Featured Produce

14 Nov, 2022

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

Recipies

14 Nov, 2022

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…)

Simple Broccoli Soup

Recipies

14 Nov, 2022

Simple Broccoli Soup

This simple soup is equally good hot or cold.  You can readily omit the potatoes for a lighter version.  A small dollop of sour cream or crème fraiche before serving is a nice complement to the soup.  The recipe serves 4-6. (more…)

Circle Brook Farm

News

7 Nov, 2022

Farm News – November 7, 2022

Hi everyone, So, I guess we knew this balmy weather couldn’t last forever! We have two nights of frost coming up and then a brief warming before some truly frigid air rolls in over the weekend. We will be shifting gears from protecting the tender crops from a few hours of below freezing temperatures, to covering the cold tolerant crops to protect them from being damaged by temps in the mid-twenties. (more…)

Fennel

Featured Produce

7 Nov, 2022

Fennel

Fennel, also known as sweet fennel or finocchio, originated in the Mediterranean and is popular in Italian and Scandinavian cooking. Closely related to parsley, carrots, dill and coriander, this aromatic vegetable is the swollen, immature stem of a large, feathery bush. The young stems of the plant overlap at the base to form a bulb with white-to-pale-green ribbed layers. Although the stalks are similar to celery both in their appearance and in their crunchy texture, all parts of the plant (bulb, stalks, and fronds) have a pleasantly sweet anise, or licorice-like flavor, and are edible. (more…)

Autumn Vegetable Gratin

Recipies

7 Nov, 2022

Autumn Vegetable Gratin

From the cookbook “Simply Organic”. If you have a mandoline to slice the vegetables thinly, all the better. You can also substitute broth instead of milk. It tastes better if made one day ahead. (more…)

Bok Choy with Shiitakes and Oyster Sauce

Recipies

7 Nov, 2022

Bok Choy with Shiitakes and Oyster Sauce

This recipe is from Mark Bittman who writes “The Minimalist” column in the New York Times.  If you do not have any dried shiitake mushrooms, so you can use fresh shiitake mushrooms.  Where the recipe calls for reserved mushroom water from the dried mushrooms, you can substitute chicken broth.  Yields 4 servings. (more…)