Westfield Area CSA Blog

Orach

Orach

Orach, also called mountain spinach and bearing some similarity to spinach, is an interesting heirloom vegetable that you probably won’t find in many grocery stores.  The velvety leaves are burgundy on one side and deep green on the other, with bright magenta stems, making it pretty enough to be a houseplant. When cooked, it bleeds pink, tinting surrounding ingredients like rice a reddish bubble gum color. (more…)

Circle Brook Farm

Farm News – August 21, 2014

Hello Everyone, We received about 1.3 inches of rain from last week’s storms that were predicted to bring 2 to 4 inches. While I was glad not to get 4 inches, I was hoping for a little more. After 3 weeks without rain, the ground quickly soaked up the moisture and is still on the dry side. The precipitation was helpful for germinating seeds and watering in some of our transplanted crops, giving us a break from moving the sprinklers around the field. (more…)

Circle Brook Farm

Farm News – August 14, 2014

Hi Folks, We are still very dry here on the farm. On Tuesday evening, returning from market in Hoboken, we drove through some heavy showers but when we arrived at the farm it was dry. It looks as though we may get some precipitation this Tuesday or Wednesday- keep your fingers crossed! (more…)

Tromboncino

Tromboncino

This unique heirloom squash from Italy can be either a summer or a winter squash depending on when it is harvested.  In late summer tromboncinos are pale green or almost white, and can be treated like a firmer, sweeter zucchini.  When harvested late in the season, tromboncinos become more golden and firm like a butternut squash. (more…)

Circle Brook Farm

Farm News – August 7, 2014

Hello Everyone, we continue to enjoy mild temperatures for this time of the season. Unfortunately the several days of potential rain that were predicted over the weekend did not bring us any precipitation. We have been busy seeding and transplanting fall crops and were hoping for some rain to get seeds germinating and young plants to take root. We will have to begin moving our overhead irrigation around the fields and keep our fingers crossed for the next chance of rain on Wednesday. (more…)

Circle Brook Farm

Farm News – July 31, 2014

Hi Folks, tomato season has begun! Yippee! Probably only a couple of fruits for this week but quantities will increase week by week. Melons have also begun to ripen so we will be shipping to some groups as availability allows. There are a lot of Korean melons, an oblong yellow type which looks like an overgrown cucumber. These are very sweet and have a crisp flesh, not as soft as other melons. (more…)

Circle Brook Farm

Farm News – July 24, 2014

Hello Folks, things continue to well here on the farm – crops are abundant and quality is good. We dodged a bullet with last week’s storms, receiving only about an inch of rain and no high winds or hail. Only about a mile north of us they got an inch of rain in 20 minutes on Monday afternoon, but that cell fortunately missed our farm. It was unusual but not unwelcome to have such mild temperatures for mid-July. (more…)

Circle Brook Farm

Farm News – July 17, 2014

Hi Folks, As most of you know, and with the kind support of many loyal members who prepaid for the 2014 season, I was able to buy a beautiful 80 acre property in Andover last November. The property has been known as Circle Brook Farm and I have chosen to keep this moniker. Starbrite Farm has now become Circle Brook Farm. I have formed an LLC and have opened a bank account with this name. I will be continuing to rent land from the adjacent property-Good Hand Farm, as I transition the additional 50 or so tillable acres to organic. I hope to soon begin establishing an orchard and planting a variety of berry and other small fruits. Very soon we will begin hosting regular farm visit events and I hope that many of you will have the chance to visit and enjoy this beautiful place and learn about how your food is grown. (more…)

South Beach Cocktail Sauce

South Beach Cocktail Sauce

1 8 ounce can tomato sauce
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon onion salt
1 teaspoon chopped parsley
1 teaspoon prepared horseradish*
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
Combine all in saucepan over medium heat. Simmer for 5 minutes. Refrigerate until serving. Makes about 1 Cup and keeps in the fridge for about a week.   * I tend to be a bit more heavy-handed with the horseradish