Westfield Area CSA Blog

Savoy cabbage

Cabbage

Cabbage is a leafy green or purple biennial plant, grown as an annual vegetable crop for its dense-leaved heads. Closely related to other cole crops, such as broccoli, cauliflower, and Brussels sprouts.  Smooth-leafed firm-headed green cabbages are the most common, with smooth-leafed red and crinkle-leafed savoy cabbages of both colors seen less frequently.  The cabbage heads are generally picked during the first year of the plants’ life cycles, but those intended for seed are allowed to grow a second year. (more…)

Asian Pickled Cabbage

Asian Pickled Cabbage

Here’s a recipe for Asian Pickled Cabbage from thekitchn.com. It’s tangy from the vinegar, sweet from the sugar, and just a bit spicy from the ginger — a perfect balance of flavors.  It’s super easy and refreshing as a side dish on a hot day.  The recipe serves 2-4 but can easily be doubled.   (more…)

Tzatziki

Tzatziki

Last week, someone asked what she can do with just one cucumber?  Simple – make tzatziki!  This delicious, creamy, Greek cucumber sauce keeps for about a week, and is great with grilled chicken, turkey or lamb.  You can use Greek or plain yogurt (using plain yogurt will result in a slightly “runnier” sauce, but it holds the flavors and texture just as well so don’t panic if you don’t have it handy).  It is a snap to make.  Try it! (more…)

Circle Brook Farm

Farm News – June 30, 2025

Hello All! So we made in through the first heat wave of Summer 2025. We sustained some damage to the crops, but it was minimal. By far the greatest hit was to our pea crop. I love peas, especially sugar snaps. I plant a lot of different cultivars of sugar snap pea, many are dwarf types that flower and produce their crop quickly, but the best are the tall ones that grow six or more feet tall and require trellis. We begin planting as early as possible, with hopes of getting a crop in late June and early July. (more…)

Summer Squash

Summer Squash

Welcome to Summer Squash season!  As you may have noticed already, summer squash appears in a variety of shapes and colors, the most prevalent being the well-known green zucchini, the straight or crooked necked yellow squash, and the round, flat, often scalloped edge, patty pan squash.  All these varieties are tender, warm-season vegetables that differ from their fall and winter cousins in that they are selected to be harvested while still immature.  Thus, the entire vegetable, rind, flesh, and seeds, can be eaten. (more…)

Summer Squash Orange Cake

Summer Squash Orange Cake

From The Victory Garden Cookbook by Marian Morash, here’s a dessert recipe using squash that is fairly quick and yummy.  Maybe this will bring the kids around to eating their veggies!  The recipe is made in a 10-inch tube or bundt pan. (more…)

Broccoli Soup

Broccoli Soup

If we are lucky enough to get broccoli leaves, they are perfect in this soup.  If not, feel free to just use broccoli.  This will be a very dark green soup. (more…)

Circle Brook Farm

Farm News – June 23, 2025

Hi Everyone, Happy summer! It seems that Mother nature has decided to celebrate summer’s arrival with the first major heat wave of the season. It’s brutal out there! I like to joke about how much I complain about the weather, but it is not so much complaining as keeping you, the members informed on events and circumstances that affect our ability to grow high quality produce. (more…)