Westfield Area CSA Blog

Circle Brook Farm

Farm News- October 11, 2012

Hello Everyone,

It was quite a rainy one this past week and we are dealing with very muddy conditions here on the farm. Wet conditions are the norm in the fall and other than making our harvesting a bit more difficult abundant moisture is beneficial to the brassica crops, the carrots and other root vegetables.

Nights have been getting progressively colder and we narrowly missed getting frost on Sunday night. (more…)

Circle Brook Farm

Farm News- October 4, 2012

Hi Folks,

It’s beginning to feel more and more like autumn. We’ve had some very cool nights this past week. We are hoping for at least 3 more weeks of frost free weather so that we can harvest from the final planting of beans and continue to pick summer squash. The eggplant and peppers have already slowed way down in their production. (more…)

Circle Brook Farm

Farm News- September 27, 2012

Hi Folks,

Well, autumn has definitely arrived. We’ve had some quite chilly nights here at the farm and daytime temps are forecast to barely reach the 70’s this week. While it’s good to be done with the extreme heat of the summer, we are hoping for another 3 or 4 weeks of frost free weather. (more…)

Circle Brook Farm

Farm News- September 20, 2012

Hi Folks,

The weather at the farm this past week has been, well, seasonable. We’ve been starting our days with chilly temperatures and heavy dew which keep us from getting to work in the fields much before 10 AM. Summer officially ends this week, but it’s already felt like autumn here on the farm for the past week or two. (more…)

Circle Brook Farm

Farm News- September 13, 2012

Hello Everyone,

We finally received some rain last week, about 3⁄4 of an inch on Tuesday and another 1⁄2 inch from the strong storms that pasted through on Saturday. The wind knocked over a few Brussels sprouts plants, but there was no hail and little other damage. The week ahead looks great with sunny skies and mild temperatures. (more…)

Creamy Purslane Potato Salad

Creamy Purslane Potato Salad

The website, www.prairielandcsa.org, had links to a few recipes using purslane, which has a rather limited culinary following. This one, taken from The Wild Vegan Cookbook , sounded reasonable (and easy) enough, if you wanted to introduce your family or Labor Day guests to a new green with little downside risk. The recipe serves 6 and would appear to be readily doubled. (more…)

Circle Brook Farm

Farm News- August 30, 2012

Hello Folks,

It’s been another week of beautiful weather! The only caveat is that we are beginning to get a little dry again and could use some rain. It looks like we may get a bit on Monday but after that there’s not much in the forecast. (more…)

Circle Brook Farm

Farm News- August 23, 2012

Hello Folks,

The weather continues to be copacetic; reasonable amounts of rainfall and moderate temperatures. The fall brassica transplants have taken root and are beginning to grow nicely. The many direct seeded fall crops are beginning to sprout. (more…)

Circle Brook Farm

Farm News- August 16, 2012

Hello Everyone,

We have enjoyed moderate temperatures and reasonable quantities of precipitation this past week. No weather related problems or catastrophes to report this update! We have been able to transplant out thousands of fall vegetables. I have been busy sowing many of the direct seeds vegetables from root crops- carrots, turnips and beets to greens-arugula, spinach, and broccoli raab as well as more herbs-dill and cilantro. (more…)

Circle Brook Farm

Farm News- August 9, 2012

Hello Folks,

The fields had dried out nicely during the past week and we were able to get back to preparing the ground for planting and to get caught up on transplanting of the fall Cole crops. Because we have a fairly sandy soil here at the farm it drains well and dries out rapidly; a blessing during rainy times and a bit of a challenge during drought. The newly transplanted Brussels sprouts and cauliflower were looking quite sad during the hot spell last week and I was hoping for a little rain to perk them up. (more…)