Cottage Food Law!!!

http://http://www.cuesa.org/article/california-considers-cottage-food-law

This legislation is being sponsored by the SELC and Matt Gato, an assemblyman. It would enable all of you who have contacted me about selling jams and jellies and homemade breads to do it without the expense of a certified kitchen!!! From your own homes!! My aspiring pastry chef Meghan could sell her wonderful Brownie Biscotti and I could add "value-added" products from the farm to support us during the lean months!! This would be an answer to a pray, but would require huge amounts of support!!! Please forward this to anyone and everyone and contact your local assemblyman asking for his support!!

Lamb CSA Shares and Sweet Potatoes!

I went to Ash Wednesday mass, and I realized that Easter is just around the corner (plus Mike can’t stop talking about his big international Las Vegas karate tournament coming up, it is the day before Easter…he loves it and has been training hard for it!!) I called Nancee Siebert and we discussed the need for small lamb CSA shares and this is what we came up with! Just let me know if you are interested. In the meantime Mike has to listen to me all night about my exciting plans for the farm including sweet potatoes!!! (which includes begging for a new raised bed to be built by my “studly” husband…yes groveling and flattery is required!!). Sweet potatoes need a long warm season so raised and "warmed" beds are a must and they cannot go in until there is no risk of frost!! First time in bulk…wish me luck. This year’s focus….food for the masses…carrots, potatoes, sweet potatoes, lettuce, green beans!! I can’t wait!!

MOONSTRUCK FARMS CSA
SIEBERT LAMB
CSA SHARE PACKAGES

GRASS AND GRAIN GROWN ON THE PROPERTY
FOR THESE SOUTHDOWN SHEEP.

LAMB PACKAGE 1
$150.00
APPROX. 15 LB. OF MEAT
1 LEG OF LAMB (Approx. 10 lb)
1 SHANK PACKAGE
1 LAMB RIB RACK
1 NECK PACKAGE

LAMB PACKAGE 2
$70.00
APPROX. 7 LB. OF MEAT
2 PACKAGES OF LOIN CHOPS
2 PACKAGES OF SHOULDER CHOPS

SIGNED FARM SHARE AGREEMENT REQUIRED FOR CSA SHARES OF MEAT SOLD.
FINAL PRICE WILL REFLECT TOTAL WEIGHT AT $10.00/POUND WITH NECK AND SHANKS THROWN IN AT NO CHARGE.

Welcome Sieberts!

Moonstruck Farms CSA would like to welcome the Siebert Lamb Farm from the Lancaster area to our multi-farm CSA. By working together we are striving towards becoming a CSA to meet all our your local farm fresh product needs. The Sieberts have been in the lamb business for 30 plus years and raise Heritage Southdown and crosses of Suffolk and Hampshire; the combination of two great Heritage breeds. They are currently grass and grain fed, but only say the word and Nancee will put one aside for you to be grass fed only. The Sieberts raise most of their own hay/grass for their animals. At this moment there is one side left of lamb for purchase, and I do have someone who would like to split it with someone if you are interested (too much for this one person). There are more coming up very shortly so just let me know if you are interested....just drop me an email to moonstruckfarms@verizon.net.

Compost Life Cycle on Farm

This last week was the perfect example of the Compost Life Cycle that we have been working to develop for a few years. When we built the new onion, garlic and shallot bed we emptied the compost near the chicken coop into it. Today a new helper came and emptied both coops completely in three hours....awesome job!! The manure was piled next to the compost pile area. I still had the bags of compostable cups from Navitat (I was waiting for this day). I wanted to put the cups under a nice layer of hot chicken manure so in went the cups first, and then all the chicken manure moved to bury them. The next layer was from the goat pen that was just cleaned consisting of manure/alfalfa/straw mixture. Tucked the pile in by surrounding it with straw bales, and in order to save some water I am waiting for it to rain this week to give it a thorough soaking. For an added measure of heat (something new I am trying) after it rains, I am going to lay recycled sliding glass doors on top; they won't fit perfectly so there should be enough oxygen exchange. Once a month I will run my little tiller through it; keep it moist (doors should help with this too), and hopefully in about 4-6 months we will have another large batch of compost ready!! If I were to till it more often it would happen faster, but I know I won't get to it that often so I have multiple piles on the property. The new pile is being created by Filet and the new heads of beef coming soon. Thus one of the initial goals of being "compost material" independent has been attained and we no longer have to go and get materials or compost; nice money savings!!