Mountain Bounty Farm News 

Dear CSA,

As the crew begins to slowly venture out into the fields to perform tasks such as garlic and strawberry weeding, the clouds are not the only fascinating things we are seeing in the sky these days.

Every year around this time, our fields become a stage for one of nature's most captivating aerial performances: the migration of the sandhill cranes. These elegant birds, with their long necks and ruddy heads stretched gracefully forward and their wings spanning wide, embark on an incredible journey, traveling thousands of miles from their warmer wintering sites to their northern breeding grounds.

Sandhill cranes travel 400-500 miles a day, at altitudes of 6,000-7,000 feet, which frequently makes them appear as large groups of VERY tiny honking dots high in the skyscape. Their soft, trilling calls are enhanced by an extra long, coiled windpipe in their sternum that adds a lovely richness to their songs that are a joy to hear overhead.

Witnessing this spectacle is a reminder of the rhythms of the natural world and how we all play a role in it. It's a privilege to be a part of the sandhill crane's journey, even if only as field spectators.

Enjoy your shares this week!

-Becky and the Mountain Bounty Crew

Seasonal Flower Shares -

Provided by Little Boy Flowers

The Early Spring Flower CSA offered by our partner farm Little Boy Flowers is happening now! Signups are still available for the remaining weeks of delivery. This CSA runs through April 17/18

The Early Spring Flower CSA includes bouquets of our farm's most popular blooms- anemones, ranunculus, Icelandic poppies and tulips. The size of the bouquets progresses with the season.

Try our Mountain Bounty personalized coffee blend CSA (both Regular and Decaf) from Remedy Coffee Company in Auburn!

Remedy coffee is made with a focus on quality, by working directly with growers and producers, and small batch-roasting to bring out the natural flavors of the coffee bean. Their coffee is served at local Nevada City haunts such as Three Forks and Briar Patch. We are thrilled to offer up our own signature coffee; the "Mountain Bounty Blend" as a Weekly or Bi-weekly CSA Subscription.

Farm Box Contents

(Contents are subject to change depending on harvest and weather conditions at Mountain Bounty and our Partner Farms.)

Please check the delivery list at your CSA site and sign your name indicating you have picked up your shares. We deliver exactly what is on the delivery list.

Small Box (Feeds 1-2 people)

• Butternut squash (Coke Farm)
• Carrot (Super Tuber Farm)
• Green Cabbage (Terra Firma Farm)
• Rainbow Chard (Riverdog Farm)
• Yellow Onion (Coke Farm)
• Lettuce (Pinnacle Farm)
• Parsley (Pinnacle Farm)

Fruit Box - (Provided by FROG HOLLOW FARM and contents subject to substitutions)

**PLEASE NOTE: The Fruit Share will be taking a seasonal break the weeks of

April 10/11 through May 15/16, with deliveries resuming May 22/23**

• Fuji Apples - Cuyama Orchards, New Cuyama
• Moro Blood Oranges - Cousins Organic Citrus, Orange Cove 
• Murcott Mandarins - Fruit Fairy, Dinuba
• Kishu Mandarins or Clementine Mandarins - Frog Hollow Farm, Brentwood
• Ettinger Avocados - Eco Farm, Temecula

**Due to delivery logistics, we are unable to return the Fruit Share Boxes to Frog Hollow. Please recycle your box at home**

If you are unsure if you are signed up for Fruit Shares, please visit your Member Dashboard HERE to verify!! Please do not grab a share unless you see your name on the pickup list.

Mushroom CSA

(Provided by Grass Valley Mushrooms)

This week will be either be a bag of Shiitake Mushrooms or a bag of Lions Mane Mushrooms, locally grown from Grass Valley Mushrooms.

General mushroom cooking instructions: Mushrooms should be cooked for about 15-20 minutes. Sautéing them is what we do most around here! 

Start with a dry sauté (no oil or butter) on low heat first for about 5 minutes to soften them and break down the outside cellular wall of the mushroom, and this will get some of the excess moisture out. Then, add oil or butter and your seasoning and go to a low-medium heat, sauteing for 10-15 minutes.

Tips and Recipes:

Shiitake Mushrooms are another delicious mushroom variety packed with essential nutrients. In fact, they even contain many of the same amino acids as meat! To prepare shiitake mushrooms, it’s recommended to remove their stems with a knife before cooking, as they often remain tough and fibrous. Try this Baked Shiitake Mushrooms Recipe (click here.)

Lion’s Mane Mushrooms are another great mushroom for cooking. You’ll want to trim off the tough bottom, and then slice to cook. Try these delicious Lion’s Mane Mushroom Steaks over Polenta (Click here.)

Recipes, storage tips, inspiration and nutrition information:

• Aside from being a stubborn lawn weed, Dandelions have actually been used for centuries as food and medicine. Dandelion Greens are extremely high in essential vitamins and minerals. They are also a natural diuretic, help with inflammation, and can even help regulate blood sugar! Try working these healthy greens into your diet by sautéing them, adding them raw to a salad, or cooking them with your eggs, like this: Sautéed Dandelion Greens with Eggs Recipe (Click Here.)

• Rainbow Chard has got to be one of the more beautiful leafy greens out there. With its variety of colors, tender leaves, and flavorful stalk, it’s a great vegetable to have on hand. While you can pretty much add it to any soup, stew, or casserole, you can also highlight its flavor by using it as your only leafy green. These Rainbow Chard Bowls (Click here) are an easy, delicious, weeknight meal. This recipe calls for orzo, walnuts and feta, but it’s also highly adaptable by using other grains, nuts, and toppings!

• Cauliflower is another vegetable that is extremely versatile. You can roast it, blend it, or turn it into this decadent, crowd-pleasing Baked Cauliflower “Mac” and Cheese (Click here.) This recipe would be a great way to help your kids eat some veggies!

• Feeling adventurous this week? If so, use your Green Cabbage to try your hand at fermentation with this simple Two-ingredient Sauerkraut! (Click here.) And if you’re not feeling up to it, this Balsamic Roasted Cabbage (click here) is another delicious option.

Important Dates:

• The Fruit Share will be taking a seasonal break the weeks of April 10/11 through May 15/16, with deliveries resuming May 22/23.
• All shares will be delivered on Wednesday, November 27th for the week of Thanksgiving.
• We will be closed for a Farm Vacation from 12/21/24 through 1/5/25. There will be no deliveries those weeks, as well as no Admin support.

info@mountainbountyfarm.com

Mailing Address:

14579 Blind Shady Road, Nevada City, CA 95959

Phone:(530)292-3776