Morning Song Farm News

It's certainly turned to "winter" here on the farm, although I blush to use the term when I hear what relatives in Maine and New York are dealing with. But here's the thing about Southern California winters: they always take us by surprise. The weather is so agreeable, that when we actually have to reach for a jacket there's a sense of an entitlement being trampled on. We're never ready, as though the cold weather gear in the back of the closet is well, old fashioned; so last decade. When in fact, same as every year, it's only been a handful of months since they were cast off. Try executing an attitude like that in New York. Ha! I took my daughter to Magic Mountain this last weekend and had to send her back in the house when she appeared in summer shorts and a short sleeve t-shirt. Yes, it might actually be chilly two and a half hours north of San Diego in the first week of November. Roll of the eyes aside, mom withheld the enormous I Told You So when pur...

Good Question! We're wondering, too. Certainly our  experience with raising chickens for eggs has underscored why the egg business is dominated by inhumane factory farm practices. Our feed and labor costs have continued unabated of course, but our chickens this week have responded to the shorter days and cooler nights by reducing their egg laying by more than half. This morning I just gathered two eggs. Not two dozen. Just two . Most of our CSA subscribers aren't ordering eggs, but those are are have been getting emails and credits when all or part of their egg orders don't materialize. It's confusing for everyone. I'm spending more time in the office keeping tract of credits email missing egg inquiries, and egg invoices, than I am actually working with our chickens. It's nuts. I had thought it would be easiest to add egg orders to CSA invoices, which are sent out at the end of each month for the next month's shares. But now I'm stuck in the office do...

Although I have to admit I mostly just eat my feijoas out of hand, CSA members have asked what else can be done with the short but abundant harvest. With 3 grams of protein in one cup of pureed (243g) fruit, feijoas have more protein than a banana and 4 times the calcium. Although they have less potassium than a banana, they still pack a whopping 377 mg per cup, and boast almost 50mg of vitamin C and they're a good source of Folate. But enough of the numbers, this receipe adapted from food.com's receipe of many years ago, is a favorite: 3 cups of flour 2 tablespoons baking powder 1 cup powdered sugar. (I use regular sugar and Vitamix my sugar until it's fine.) 3 fresh eggs 1 1/4 cups milk (not ultra-pasturized) 1 1/2 cups feijoas, peeled and finely chopped 1/2 cup butter Ingredients for glaze: 2 tablespoons powdered sugar 2 tablespoons lime/kumquat or lemon juice juice and zest of 2 limes or lemons Directions: Sift the flower, baking powder a...

      Butternut squash is a fantastic source for the filling of a pumpkin-pie like dessert. Don't forget to pick up enough organic whipping cream (consider flavoring with a little rum) to use as a topping: a critical component!   Directions: Line a pie pan with pie dough. I often cheat and use Trader Joe's pie dough, which comes frozen. For a while there, they were having a problem with quality control, but the product now is excellent and a big time saver; especially if you don't make alot of pies and don't have a system. There was a time when I made a couple pies or quiches a week, and I really had the whole pie dough thing down to a science. Now, not so much and though a Slow Food Advocate, I use Trader's product. Preheat oven to 425. Here's the recipe: 2 cups of cooked squash or edible pumpkin. Do NOT try using a decorative pumpkin in this recipe. I've tried it, and it was just beyond awful, watery and n...

  Okay, I admit it. The main reason that parsley exists for me on the planet is for tabouli. I always considered the parsley on the plate as decorative. So when I tried this at a friend's house I have to say I was surprised. Then addicted. Besides the obvious and critical component of finely chopped parsley, the core of this dish is a processed form of wheat, called bulgur. There are numerous tabouli recipes, this is just one. Bulgur wheat dates back several thousand years. Because the wheat was dried in the sun, it resisted mold and stored well for long periods of time; making it a survival food during famine. The ancient process is still used in some parts of the Mediterranean. The fresh wheat is boiled in pots until fully cooked (this can take more than a day on some cases), then it's spread out on rooftops to dry in the baking sun. Finally, when the moisture content is near zero, the wheat kernels are cracked into pieces and sorted by sieving into different sizes for...