Westfield Area CSA

Get fresh, local, organic veggies and fruit delivered weekly. Delicious and healthy!

Category: Featured Produce

Summer Squash

Featured Produce

29 Jun, 2026

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…)

Spinach

Featured Produce

22 Jun, 2026

Spinach

Calorie for calorie, leafy green vegetables like spinach provide more nutrients than any other food.  Spinach is thought to have originated in ancient Persia.  Spinach made its way to China in the 7th century when the king of Nepal sent it as a gift to this country.  Spinach has a much more recent history in Europe than many other vegetables.  It was only brought to that continent in the 11th century, when the Moors introduced it into Spain.  In fact, for a while, spinach was known as “the Spanish vegetable” in England. (more…)

Swiss Chard

Featured Produce

15 Jun, 2026

Swiss Chard

Swiss chard, along with kale, mustard greens, and collard greens, is one of several leafy, green vegetables often referred to as “greens.”  It belongs to the same family as beets and spinach and shares a similar taste profile.  Chard is a tall, leafy vegetable with a thick, crunchy stalk (akin to celery but less stringy) that comes in white, red, or yellow, with wide, fan-like, ruffled leaves that are similar to spinach but chewier.  Regardless of the stalks’ color, they have similar flavors and cooking properties, although the white stalks are most tender.  Very tender leaves can be added directly to green salads. (more…)

Lettuce

Featured Produce

8 Jun, 2026

Lettuce

It is true, eating all that salad is good for you!  While the nutritional value of lettuce varies with the variety, the following excerpt from the University of Illinois website sets the record straight:  Lettuce in general provides small amounts of dietary fiber, some carbohydrates, a little protein and a trace of fat. Its most important nutrients are vitamin A and potassium.   (more…)

Sweet Potatoes

Featured Produce

17 Nov, 2025

Sweet Potatoes

Sweet potatoes are native to Central and South America and are one of the oldest vegetables known to man.  They have been consumed since prehistoric times as evidenced by sweet potato relics dating back 10,000 years that have been discovered in Peruvian caves. (more…)

Sunchokes

Featured Produce

10 Nov, 2025

Sunchokes (aka Jerusalem Artichokes)

Sunchokes, of the sunflower family, are native to North America where the natives called them “sun roots” before European settlers arrived. Samuel Champlain, a French explorer found them in Cape Cod in 1605 and pronounced them similar in taste to artichokes. But why “Jerusalem artichokes”? They don’t come from Jerusalem nor do they look like artichokes. There are a few theories: (more…)

Delicata Squash

Featured Produce

3 Nov, 2025

Delicata Squash

Delicata squash is a long, oblong-shaped squash with a cream colored, green-striped, outer skin and a golden, fine-textured inner flesh.  This is one of the tastier winter squashes, with a creamy pulp that tastes a bit like corn and sweet potatoes.  It can be baked or steamed and served as a side dish, seasoned with butter and herbs, providing a sweet nutty flavor with a creamy smooth texture.  The thin skin is also edible. (more…)

Daikon Radish

Featured Produce

3 Nov, 2025

Daikon Radish

Daikon, or white radish, is traditional to Asian cooking. It is a long white radish, and given its shape and color, has been called an “icicle radish”. It is extremely versatile in cooking. You can use it anywhere you would normally use a regular radish, and in some ways that are unique. (more…)

Winter Squash

Featured Produce

27 Oct, 2025

Winter Squash

Winter squash is really a misnomer, as these delicious treats are grown in the summer. They are edible well into the winter, however, thanks to their ability to last for months in storage.  First, be sure to check for any soft spots. If there are any, cook that squash right away. Soft spots can easily be cut out and the rest of the squash is usually fine. (more…)

Beets

Featured Produce

20 Oct, 2025

Beets

Beets are filled with good things.  High in fiber, vitamins A and C, and surprisingly, more iron than most other vegetables, including spinach!  They also contain calcium, potassium, phosphorous, and folic acid.  The pigments that give beets their signature coloring are strong antioxidants. (more…)