Morning Song Farm News

Check out our latest success in the sprouting department! I cannot believe how sweet sprouted organic popcorn is! In fact the leafy green it's so sweet, it's probably going to be too sweet for some folks. We do have to cut the shoots, kind of like wheatgrass, from the roots.  I had hoped to deliver them intact, but the seeds are grainy and inedible once sprouted. The seed just isn't very tasty, while the roots is. I think the best way to deliver these, would be to cut only the shoots and package up, and toss the germinated seed and roots to our chickens. Our chickens sure enjoyed my first experimental batch of roots and seeds. They pretty much devoured the little pile of offerings like it was their first taste of candy.

Our beautiful, juice-bomb tangalolos are in boxes this week. They are usually harvested starting in March, but the weird weather has afforded us an early start. These beautiful globes are so juicy, they're better off eaten naked in the shower. Or at least with a bib. ;) Another week of our popular crunchy bean mix sprouts for all box sizes this week, as well. We're working on sourcing a reputable, organic provider of sprouting pea seeds. The source we use had a giant pea seed crop failure, so we're casting about. I've been meaning to blog about this: sprouts are easy to grow, but it's important that you purchase your sprouting seeds from a source that sells "sprouting" seeds, not generic seeds. The level of hygiene practices needed to keep your sprout seeds safe for consumption is quite different for seeds intended for the soil vs. seeds intended for sprouting. You can't wisely buzz over to a local health food store and scoop up seeds from the bins and...

We continue to enjoy and trail sprout seeds for our CSA boxes. Many may not be aware that it is not safe to purchase generic seeds, whether organic or otherwise, at the grocery store, farmers' market or on-line and use them for sprouts. The seeds we use here are certified organic, grown in North America, and were grown specifically for commercial sprout applications. Each and every lot is labeled and tested for bacteria contamination. Seeds that are sold for gardeners to plant in the soil or for consumers to grind and use as flour or add to smoothies do not need to have the same level of safe handling practices. We're excited about our newest trial: our Ancient Grain Mix : lentils, fenugreek, kamut, and adzuki beans. A few years' back I recall a concern in New York City of a mysterious maple syrup scent that would present itself from time to time. The source turned out to be an international importer of fenugreek seeds. True enough, the seeds do...