Westfield Area CSA Blog

Tex-Mex Potato Cake

Tex-Mex Potato Cake

From the cookbook, Serving up the Harvest, here is an easy (especially if you have a food processor) recipe for all those delicious potatoes we’ve been getting.  It is a good dish to have in your arsenal as it is very quick to make, holds up well during a buffet, travels easily to block parties or potluck dinners, and can be made ahead and reheated.  What’s not to like about that?  The recipe serves 6-8. (more…)

Circle Brook Farm

Farm News – August 22, 2022

Hello Folks! So, we received a small amount of rain today, and hopefully there is more on tap for Monday evening and Tuesday. For some crops it may be too little too late – particularly for our winter squash and pumpkin crop. Many of the vines have died and the rest are already maturing very small fruits. I am hoping that if it starts raining with more regularity, they may begin to grow and flower again, but there is not much time left. (more…)

Spanish Quinoa Stuffed Peppers

Spanish Quinoa Stuffed Peppers

This recipe, courtesy of food blogger minimalistbaker.com, is a vegan and gluten and dairy free twist on stuffed peppers.  These protein packed stuffed peppers are fantastic by themselves, but try them topped with salsa, avocado slices, or hot sauce for even more flavor.  Serves 4. (more…)

Circle Brook Farm

Farm News – August 15, 2022

Hi Folks, So the heat has broken, but still no rain. It seems we will have to wait another week for a 40% chance of precipitation. The drought is rally starting to hurt us, despite our best efforts to keep everything sprouting and growing. For now, the shares still look great. (more…)

Rustic Homemade Pizza Sauce

Rustic Homemade Pizza Sauce

You can turn almost any of your extra CSA veggies into toppings on a homemade pizza.  From the Cooking Close to Home cookbook, this simple, chunky, sauce yields about 3½ cups, enough for 3, 16-inch pizzas.  It is also an excellent base for adding pasta sauce ingredients like ground meat, sausage, or other veggies later.  You can also freeze it, in case you have more tomatoes than you know what to do with.

If you have fresh herbs, the conversion is one teaspoon dry equals one Tablespoon fresh (and fresh will taste so much better!).
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Bhindi Masala

Bhindi Masala

Bhindi (okra) is a staple in Indian cuisine. This recipe for Bhindi Masala comes from Slate Magazine. If you were scarred by stewed okra as a child, you might be wary of overcooking your okra here. Don’t be. Counterintuitively, you want to cook it so long it’s just shy of burning. A long frying session will give the okra time to dry out as its liquid evaporates, and that dried out texture is what you want if you’re trying to avoid slime. Your okra’s not done until it looks wilted and deeply browned. (more…)

Circle Brook Farm

Farm News – August 8, 2022

Hi Everyone, I wish I had better news for you, but after various chances for rain over the last week, we are still very dry here on the farm.  About two hours ago it became dark, and the wind picked up, then I watched the radar as a small storm cell moved to the north of us.  We have another shot at some precipitation tonight and tomorrow, after that we will have to wait until next week.  We are doing the best we can to keep everything growing or at least keep new transplants and newly sprouted seeds from burning up, but there is just not enough water to go around. (more…)

Eggplant Caponata

Eggplant Caponata

With eggplants still in abundance, I can’t wait to make another batch of this Sicilian deliciousness. The recipe makes about 4-5 cups and keeps well for about a week in the fridge. (more…)