What’s coming up soon:

I wish we could rename the common yam, or at least my recipe below, to something with a better marketing zing. This pie is really rich and tasty, even for professed yam-haters…and doesn’t take a lot of work. I actually made it last night without a crust, (which makes it not a pie, actually)… pouring it into a glass brownie pan and then serving in squares with freshly whipped cream. I had meant to cool overnight and serve for dinner tonight, but I see my teenager has eaten most of it for breakfast…rendering any planned photo op somewhat useless, except as proof of its tastiness. 🙂
(see empty dish….draw conclusion.)

Bake 4 or so yams in the microwave or oven until soft. Cool so you don’t burn yourself scooping out.

You need:
2 cups of mashed yams
1 and a half cups of rich cream.(and extra if you want whipped topping)  I’m sorry to say that I’ve discovered for the first time that I can’t buy cream, either organic or conventional, that isn’t ultra-pasteurized. More on that later.
1/4 cup of dark brown sugar
3 tablespoons of black strap molasses
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon (I prefer to grind my own from cinnamon bark)
1/2 teaspoon allspice
2 eggs

I didn’t bother to do a two step process. I just threw everything into my counter top mixer and mixed until smooth; and then poured into my glass brownie pan that I had buttered and floured to prevent sticking. (May not have been necessary)

Bake at 425 until a fork comes up clean when poked in the center.

I whipped a half cup of whipping cream with sugar and vanilla and had planned to use that as the topping. Since that’s missing too, I will assume it was used as intended.

 Click HERE to view this week’s complete Harvest Ticket

This week’s Large Box shot. A few random boxes received spaghetti squash, and all Wednesday boxes received sprouts. (sprouts weren’t quite ready for Tuesday’s boxes as we are trying to adjust start times as the weather has cooled.) Wednesday Large Boxes received two clamshells of sprouts: one of our Daikon Radish Sprouts, and one of our Brassica Mix Sprouts. All Wednesday Small Shares received one or the other. I know I’ve said this before, but it’s worth repeating: radish sprouts (and today’s clamshells both have radish; either as a single seed or in the Brassica mix) will have tiny, white fibrous roots on the radishes. This is sometimes mistaken for mold, but is just our healthy, just -harvested radish sprouts–fibrous roots and all.

Click here to view this week’s harvest.

Click here to view this week’s harvest ticket!

This week’s harvest is a bit fruit-heavy with less leafy greens. Despite Spring and Summer’s being known as fruit season, really for us here in Southern Cal, Fall is probably as important. We’re beginning to collect macadamia nuts as nut fall has arrived in earnest. We harvested the first decent dragon fruit yield ever this year, but still not enough to put in boxes. We do think we will be including them next year, this time, unless Operations hogs them all like they did this year. :/

The variety we grow is from Guatemala, and I think the best of all that we’ve trialed…at least for Southern California. Grown as a trellised cactus, the fruit is spineless and has a rich, floral taste that is hard to describe. I like them best when thoroughly chilled. The flowers are spectacular and open for a single day.

We’re in the midst of our pineapple guava harvest. For the first few weeks I labeled the bags because so few have seen the fruit in the store. Now I’m saving the effort, and just relying on this blog for identification purposes. Even if you don’t enjoy the fruit (although they are among my favorites) the scent as they ripen in your kitchen is enough reason not to give them away.

Limes are back at last, which to me are a kitchen staple. I use the juice in my salads, add to smoothies and juice mixtures, and have several recipes for sauces.

We’re planning a Farm Day shortly, and will announce here.

Click here to view our harvest tickets

We have persimmons for everyone this week, although the harvest would be twice as bountiful if Couscous the Bad Llama hadn’t discovered a taste for persimmons this year. He ate just about half the crop. We’ll put a low fence around the trees for next year so it won’t happen again. I don’t know why he chose this year to discover the fruit, he’s had access for many years.

Come on out to Morning Song Farm for our beginning cheese making class. We’ll focus October’s class on a few of the fun and easy cheeses that will easily turn you into a cheese maker! Impress your friends with cheesey offerings and try out a fun and different hobby that brings dividends of appreciation. You may find that you’ll discover a passion for cheese as we have here at Morning Song Farm. It’s easier than you’d ever think! Follow along with handouts and easy to follow recipes so that your success is insured when you repeat the steps at home. We’ll talk about which milk to use, cultures, and why certified organic milk isn’t always your best choice.  We’ll make three different cheeses; Garlic Ricotta, Herbed Queso Fresca, Fromage Blanc, Paneer, Feta and Neufchatel cream cheese are among those we choose to make and sample during the class.  Class starts at 9:00. Arrive 15 minutes  early if you’d like, to sample herbed cheeses as well as our just churned butter and freshly milled-macadamia muffins.  Warm up with hot coffee or herbal tea or enjoy freshly squeezed orange juice while meeting your fellow cheese loving adventurers!  Get a chance to meet the farm’s beautiful Nigerian dairy goats, and pet our friendly herd. Bring a crunchy granola bar or two and you’ll be everyone’s best friend, especially Carl The Herd Leader who eats anything but really gets excited if it’s crunchy.

Tuition: $65
Come on out to Morning Song Farm for our beginning cheese making class. We’ll focus October’s class on a few of the fun and easy cheeses that will easily turn you into a cheese maker! Impress your friends with cheesey offerings and try out a fun and different hobby that brings dividends of appreciation. You may find that you’ll discover a passion for cheese as we have here at Morning Song Farm. It’s easier than you’d ever think! Follow along with handouts and easy to follow recipes so that your success is insured when you repeat the steps at home. We’ll talk about which milk to use, cultures, and why certified organic milk isn’t always your best choice.  We’ll make three different cheeses; Garlic Ricotta, Herbed Queso Fresca, Fromage Blanc, Paneer, Feta and Neufchatel cream cheese are among those we choose to make and sample during the class.  Class starts at 9:00. Arrive 15 minutes  early if you’d like, to sample herbed cheeses as well as our just churned butter and freshly milled-macadamia muffins.  Warm up with hot coffee or herbal tea or enjoy freshly squeezed orange juice while meeting your fellow cheese loving adventurers!  Get a chance to meet the farm’s beautiful Nigerian dairy goats, and pet our friendly herd. Bring a crunchy granola bar or two and you’ll be everyone’s best friend, especially Carl The Herd Leader who eats anything but really gets excited if it’s crunchy.

Tuition: Even if you are a much appreciated farm member, payment and reservations for our cheese classes need to be made here so that we can use the Meetup software to keep an accurate headcount.  Please, no impromptu arrivals. The class size is limited for a reason, so we need to have firm reservations. Our barn is now heated, but do come with a sweater just in case. The pathway to the barn is rough and unpaved, so stash the stilettos or dress shoes; and opt for sneakers or boots for your cheese making day.

Click here for this week’s tickets

Click here to view this week’s tickets