Mountain Bounty Farm News
Week 37/52 | September 10th
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Dear Farm Friends,
Last up in our series of Mountain Bounty crew interviews is Kale Riley. Kale, 32, has been working here for 8 years. She’s worked in many capacities from managing our greenhouse to writing the newsletter, and now splits her time between Mountain Bounty and Little Boy Flowers. A consummate professional farmer, she works and moves remarkably fast, knows farming inside and out, and somehow manages to be very serious and very fun at the same time.
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Tell us about your farming history and how you came to Mountain Bounty.
I was in school in Santa Cruz and I started volunteering at the Homeless Garden Project, a small nonprofit educational farm. I had an epiphany there, and fell for farming. I wanted to farm, and learn, work outdoors with my body, and be tired at the end of the day. Then I managed a small farm with my partner for a couple years, while working multiple other jobs at the same time. We decided we wanted to get experience working on a larger scale production farm, where we could farm full-time, get paid, and learn how to run a farm that actually supports itself, so we could have our own farm someday.
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We came to visit the farm in October 2016, it had just rained and it was very beautiful out. I loved it immediately. I feel like I was provided a lot of opportunity to learn and to grow. It was challenging and uncomfortable sometimes, but also very satisfying. I’ve always loved the systems here and how structured it is.
Over the years I have watched the farm transform and adapt in ways that are really inspiring. A lot of farms struggle with leadership transitions, and there’s been some really strong personalities here. But the leadership model here has fostered a lot of cooperation. When one person is flagging, another feels like they’ve still got it and can step up. It’s a really positive work environment.
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What’s your role here now?
I work 3 days a week at Mountain Bounty, and the rest at Little Boy Flowers. I also do freelance floral design with other flower people, and in the winters I work with a women-run prescribed fire and brush clearing company. I’ve also got some writing projects. I like the balance of different things. I want to be able to continue farming in a way that feels sustainable. I like to bounce around. I like to be very “on” at work and then be able to leave it behind when I go home.
There’s a whole big world out there, and I have a lot of freedom to explore. I know this is a privilege. And I also know that farming long-term is a big challenge. How do we keep producing food in this way as the world changes? How do you keep going and not lose faith and burn out? How do we make it sustainable?
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What do you see for yourself and the farm moving forward?
Farming is my oldest love, and I’m still learning. I’m a big fan of Mountain Bounty and I’m proud to work here, and proud of what we do for the community. I think it’s important that we are training new farmers and providing meaningful employment. It can be hard to grasp how significant, how difficult, and how rare it is for a small farm to put out so much produce. And I’ve met so many friends here. I love being here. I don’t see that changing and that feels really good. So yeah, I’m here for the game as long as I can.
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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.
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Regular Box (Feeds 2-4 people)
- Kale (Mountain Bounty Farm)
- Cilantro (Mountain Bounty Farm)
- Beets/Carrots (Mountain Bounty Farm)
- Parsley (Mountain Bounty Farm)
- Jalapeño (Mountain Bounty Farm)
- Shishitos (Mountain Bounty Farm)
- Radish (Mountain Bounty Farm)
- Lettuce (Mountain Bounty Farm)
- Melon (Mountain Bounty Farm)
- Green Beans (Mountain Bounty Farm)
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Small Box (Feeds 1-2 people)
- Kale (Mountain Bounty Farm)
- Cilantro (Mountain Bounty Farm)
- Beets (Mountain Bounty Farm)
- Jalapeño (Mountain Bounty Farm)
- Zucchini (Mountain Bounty Farm)
- Tomato (Mountain Bounty Farm)
- Green Beans (Mountain Bounty Farm)
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Fruit Share CSA
(Provided by FROG HOLLOW FARM)
A note about box returns!
There are a few things we ask our members to do so we can continue to reuse the boxes efficiently:
- Remove the fruit from your boxes immediately so the fruit does not stain the box (plus it keeps longer outside of the plastic shell).
- Store your Fruit Share box inside until you return it
- If your box is torn or stained, please do not return it and instead place it in your recycling bin. Both farms are using crew time to manage the box return program, so we'd love to only deal with boxes that can truly be reused.
Thanks for your support!
Box contents:
- Cal Red Peaches, Frog Hollow Farm
- Summer Flare Nectarines, Frog Hollow Farm
- Flavor King Pluots, Frog Hollow Farm
- Dapple Dandy Pluots, Frog Hollow Farm
- Reed Avocado, Churchill Orchards, Ojai
When you’re looking for a creative late summer dessert, this Poached Pluots in Reisling (Click Here) recipe is the perfect way to use these delectable plum/apricot cross fruits in your Fruit Share this week!
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Flower Share CSA
Fill your home with gorgeous flowers this summer! Each week you will receive a large bouquet filled with top quality blooms including garden roses, dahlias, gladiolus, lilies and more!
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Recipes, storage tips, inspiration and nutrition information:
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No basil in the box this week, but don't fret, you can still make that yummy green sauce! Kale Pesto (Click here) is delicious on pizza, pasta, sandwiches and eggs!
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Russian Beet Salad, or Vinegret (Click here) is a tasty and healthy side dish that can be made in advance. And that vibrant beet color makes it totally beautiful too!
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