Westfield Area CSA Blog

Circle Brook Farm

Farm News – August 5, 2019

Hi Everyone!  So, we begin as usual, with the weather report.  We had two light rains over the weekend totaling about a half an inch.  This was greatly appreciated as we are in the process of transplanting the fall brassica crops as well as direct-seeding other crops for harvest during the second half of the season.  Generally, we have been receiving plenty of sunshine and warm, yet not scorching, temperatures.  All in all, I would say the weather has been copacetic and is predicted to remain so for the next couple of weeks.  We did have a large planting of fall carrots and a planting of dill and cilantro fail to germinate after the heavy rain 2 weeks back.  I am in the process of replanting but had to order more seed, since I used up all of my favorite varieties. (more…)

Ground Cherries

Ground Cherries

Ground cherries  (aka goldenberries, husk tomatoes, or cape gooseberries) are one of the fun, unique items that you learn about when you join our CSA.  These small fruit are in the tomato family and have a paper wrapper similar to a tomatillo.  They are very sweet and have an interesting flavor, nutty and a bit of pineapple.  (more…)

Circle Brook Farm

Farm News – July 29, 2019

Hi Folks!  So after a brief respite, the heat is on again.  It looks like it will break by Wednesday or Thursday.  I imagine there will be a few more heat waves to endure yet this season!  We did receive too much rain (3½ inches!) after the last scorcher.  The combination of extreme temps and wetness took its toll on our lettuce crop, and we won’t have it in the shares for a few weeks. (more…)

Gazpacho

Easy Gazpacho

This is my go-to recipe for delicious and satisfying gazpacho. And now that we are in peak tomato season, it’s an easy meal, despite what might appear like a long and arduous process — it is not! Read it thru a few times, make it once, and you will see how simple it is. The recipe serves 4-6 and hails from the website www.thekitchn.com. Do try it, please. (more…)

Circle Brook Farm

Farm News – July 22, 2019

Hello Folks! We have survived the heat wave, although it has taken a bit of a toll on some of the crops. Primarily, the lettuce has been damaged — we have lost hundreds of heads. But this may be good news for those of you who have been struggling to use 2 heads of lettuce a week! (more…)

Cold Cucumber Cream Soup

Cold Cucumber Cream Soup

A quick and refreshing cold soup that can be prepared ahead of time for those warm, muggy evenings; if you are out of cilantro already, dill works just as well.  Serves 4. (more…)

Circle Brook Farm

Farm News – July 15, 2019

Hello Everyone! So, Solanaceae is the name of the family of plants that includes tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, potatoes, as well as tomatillos and their cousins. You might infer from the “sol” in their name that they are sun and heat lovers, which is true (although the etymology is unclear). (more…)

Circle Brook Farm

Farm News – July 8, 2019

Hi Everyone! So, we received some much-needed rain over the weekend. The broccoli and cauliflower are heavy drinkers lol. I also have a lot of seed in the ground waiting to sprout. (more…)