MOUNTAIN BOUNTY FARM NEWSWinter 2019-20, Week 13 of 25
Dear Farm Members,
I have some more good news! The Bear Yuba Land Trust, with support from Briarpatch and Sierra Harvest, are working to purchase our main farm site on Birchville Road. This coalition of nonprofits is launching a new endeavor called “Forever Farms,” to begin protecting the scarce and precious farm land that sustains our local food movement. And they are starting with Mountain Bounty. Their plan is to raise the money to buy the property and then lease it to us and to future farmers so that the land remains as a long term community asset. This is one of the most exciting things that has happened in my farming career.
Access to good farmland with water is the biggest challenge that Mountain Bounty has dealt with over the past 23 years. Of course there is also drought (and plenty of other interesting weather!), labor, changing markets, and the complexity of farming itself. Farming is exciting. But land insecurity is the main issue that determines our ability to continue -- or not. When our current lease expires at the end of 2020, the landowner who recently inherited the property has said that he would only lease it to us short-term, and the rent would quadruple. The beauty of the Forever Farms idea is that it goes beyond individual ownership, which rarely lasts more than a generation these days, and creates a situation where farms can serve the community long term. This takes the Community Supported Agriculture ideal to the next level.
While it’s going to take some doing to raise the $650,000 needed to buy the land, we feel confident that working together we can make it happen. So, stay tuned, we will be sharing more info and reaching out to you to help us take part in the fundraising effort in the near future.
Thanks!
John Tecklin
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THIS WEEK'S CSA CONTENTS
Disclaimer: Box contents are dependent on actual harvest, but this is what you’ll likely receive in your boxes.
REGULAR BOX:
Cabbage (Mountain Bounty Farm)
Broccoli (Terra Firma Farm)
Rainbow Chard (Terra Frima Farm)
Romaine Lettuce (Full Belly Farm)
Carrots (First Rain Farm)
Rutabaga (Riverdog)
Stir Fry Mix (Riverdog)
Onions (Pinnacle)
Parsley (Pinnacle)
Spring Onions (Coke Farm)
SMALL BOX:
Cabbage (Mountain Bounty Farm)
Broccoli (Terra Firma Farm)
Rainbow Chard (Terra Firma Farm)
Romaine Lettuce (Full Belly Farm)
Carrots (First Rain Farm)
Onions (Pinnacle)
Parsley (Pinnacle)
FRUIT SHARE: (Provided by Sunset Ridge Fine Fruits
Cara Cara Pink Navels (Lee Family Farms)
Pink Lady Apples (Smit Farms)
Navel oranges (Button and Turkovich Farms)
Minneola Tangelos (Sunset Ridge Fine Fruits)
Blood Oranges (Sunset Ridge Fine Fruits)
JOHN'S BREAD: (Provided by John Tecklin)
Online ordering is open now through May! The ordering window is Wednesdays at 8am through Saturdays at 8pm for delivery to your local pick up site the following Wednesday. More information and ordering available at https://mountainbountyfarm.com/johns-bread.
FLOWERS: (Provided by Little Boy Flowers)
Early Spring Flower shares are available and will begin in early March. Members will receive 8 weeks of incredible spring blooms from tulips to anemones to ranunculus and our first peonies. More information can be found here.
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RECIPES
Recipes may sometimes call for more or less of a certain item in your boxes, or an ingredient you might not have on hand. We encourage you to enjoy the creativity associated with eating locally and seasonally.
Mountain Bounty cabbage is back and we are enjoying it in a casserole with sausage, roasted with parm, or even in a delicious soup with farro. Maybe Rutabagas remind you of your grandmother (or maybe that's just me) but we are here to remind you that they can be delicious in a variety of ways, including made into fries, mashed with potatoes, or roasted with carrots and added with pearl couscous and chopped parsley and almonds. We are taking mornings slow while enjoying our swiss chard frittata with onions and parsley. Or even a broccoli cheddar quiche. We are also trying something new with broccoli and cheese risotto. We've missed having romaine lettuce so we enjoying the classic Caesar salad.