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A to Z: what's in your Mountain Bounty Farm box and how to use it

A to Z: what's in your Mountain Bounty Farm box and how to use it

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CalFresh/EBT recipients
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A concise A‑to‑Z guide for Mountain Bounty Farm’s CSA box, describing the organic farm, box pricing and pickup options, seasonal produce lists for spring, summer, and fall/winter, and quick storage and cooking tips for each crop, plus links to additional resources and help for members.
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A a la Z: lo que hay en tu caja de Mountain Bounty Farm y cómo usarla
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https://mountainbountyfarm.com/what-we-grow
Last verified 2026-09-05.
Mountain Bounty Farm is a 50-acre certified-organic family farm on the San Juan Ridge outside Nevada City — the oldest and largest CSA in the Sierra, growing more than 40 crops and 140 varieties. A share is a weekly box of whatever is at its best that week; the farm emails the box contents and recipes before each pickup. This page is the A-to-Z companion to that box: what each item is, how to keep it, and the fastest way to eat it. Source: mountainbountyfarm.com/farm and /what-we-grow (accessed 2026-09-05)

The share, in numbers

  • Regular box: about 9–11 items · Small box: about 6–7 items.
  • Western Nevada County / Auburn: $41 per regular box on subscription ($46 single), $35.50 small; pickups Tuesdays (May–Nov) and Wednesdays (Nov–May). 4-week plans and a 25-delivery prepay are available.
  • Truckee / Tahoe / Reno: $46.50 regular ($51.50 single), $40 small; Thursdays year-round.
  • Members get the weekly newsletter with recipes plus member-only recipe and storage guides.
Source: mountainbountyfarm.com/veg-shares (accessed 2026-09-05)

What shows up when

  • Spring (Mar–May): arugula, beets, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, chard, choi, cilantro, dill, fennel, head lettuce, kale, oregano, radishes, scallions, snap peas, spinach, strawberries, stir-fry mix, turnips, zucchini.
  • Summer (Jun–Sep): arugula, basil, beets, carrots, celery, chard, choi, cilantro, corn, cucumbers, eggplant, garlic and garlic scapes, green beans, Little Gem lettuce, melons, onions, parsley, peppers, potatoes, radishes, scallions, shallots, strawberries, table grapes, tomatoes, zucchini.
  • Fall / Winter (Oct–Dec): arugula, basil, beets, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, collards, celery, chard, choi, cilantro, dill, escarole, fennel, head lettuce, kale, leeks, onions, parsley, pears, potatoes, radicchio, radishes, rosemary, sage, scallions, spinach, sweet potatoes, thyme, tomatoes, turnips, winter squash.
Source: mountainbountyfarm.com/what-we-grow (accessed 2026-09-05)

A to Z — keep it, cook it

General kitchen guidance for the crops the farm grows; the farm's own newsletter is the authority for anything specific to a given week's box.
  • Arugula — Fridge, in a bag with a paper towel; 3–4 days. Eat raw: salads, on pizza, folded into pasta at the last second.
  • Basil — Do not refrigerate (it blackens). Stems in a glass of water on the counter, or blend with oil and freeze in an ice-cube tray.
  • Beets — Cut the greens off (cook them like chard); roots keep 2–3 weeks in the fridge. Roast whole in foil at 400°F until a knife slides in, then peel.
  • Broccoli — Fridge, loose bag; 5–7 days. Roast the florets hot with oil and salt; peel and slice the stem — it's the sweetest part.
  • Cabbage — Whole heads keep for weeks in the fridge. Thin slaw, or sear thick wedges in a hot pan.
  • Carrots — Tops off, roots in a bag; a month or more. Raw, roasted, or grated into anything.
  • Cauliflower — Fridge, 1 week. Roast, or blitz raw into "rice."
  • Celery — Wrap tightly in foil in the fridge; stays crisp for weeks. Farm celery is greener and stronger than store celery — great in soups and stocks.
  • Chard — Fridge, 4–5 days. Stems and leaves cook separately: chop the stems and start them first.
  • Choi (bok choy) — Fridge, 3–4 days. Halve and sear cut-side down, or stir-fry with garlic.
  • Cilantro — Stems in water, loosely covered, in the fridge; 1 week. Stems are as flavorful as leaves.
  • Collard greens — Fridge, 5–7 days. Slice into ribbons and braise with garlic and a splash of vinegar.
  • Corn — Eat within a day or two; husk on in the fridge. Cut kernels off the cob for salads and freeze extras.
  • Cucumbers — Fridge crisper, 1 week. Salt sliced cucumbers 10 minutes before dressing.
  • Dill — Like cilantro. Potatoes, cucumbers, eggs, fish.
  • Eggplant — Counter for a day or two, then the fridge; use within a week. Roast whole until collapsed, or slice, salt, and grill.
  • Escarole — Fridge, 3–5 days. The classic: sautéed with garlic and white beans, or in soup.
  • Fennel — Fridge, 1 week. Shave the bulb raw into salad with citrus; roast wedges; save fronds as a herb.
  • Garlic & garlic scapes — Cured garlic: cool, dry, dark, not the fridge. Scapes (the curly spring shoots): fridge, 2–3 weeks; use like a mild green garlic, or blend into pesto.
  • Green beans — Fridge, bag, 5 days. Blanch 3 minutes, then dress, or blister in a hot pan.
  • Grapes (table) — Fridge, unwashed until eating; 1–2 weeks. Freeze for snacks.
  • Kale — Fridge, 5–7 days. Strip the stems; massage with oil and salt for raw salads, or crisp in the oven.
  • Leeks — Fridge, 2 weeks. Slice and wash well (grit hides in the layers). The base of most winter soups.
  • Lettuce (head, Little Gem) — Fridge, bag with a paper towel; 5–7 days. Little Gems are sturdy enough to grill in halves.
  • Melons — Counter until fragrant, then the fridge. Salt and lime on cantaloupe; cucumber-and-melon salad.
  • Onions & shallots — Cool, dry, dark; not next to potatoes. Weeks to months.
  • Oregano, rosemary, sage, thyme — Fridge in a damp towel for a week, or hang-dry and crumble into a jar.
  • Parsley — Like cilantro. Treat it as a salad green, not a garnish.
  • Pears — Ripen on the counter (press the neck — gives slightly when ready), then refrigerate.
  • Peas (snap) — Fridge, 3–5 days; eat raw or barely cooked.
  • Peppers — Fridge, 1–2 weeks. Roast whole over a flame and peel for the best flavor.
  • Potatoes — Cool, dark, dry, ventilated; never the fridge (starch turns sweet). Keep away from onions.
  • Radicchio — Fridge, 1–2 weeks. Bitter raw; grill or roast to sweeten, and pair with something salty.
  • Radishes — Tops off (they're a good cooked green); roots in water in the fridge stay crisp for 2 weeks. Roast them if raw is too sharp.
  • Scallions — Root ends in a jar of water in the fridge; 1–2 weeks.
  • Spinach — Fridge, bag; 3–5 days. Cooks down to almost nothing — use the whole bunch.
  • Stir-fry mix — Fridge, 3–4 days. Hot pan, oil, garlic, two minutes.
  • Strawberries — Fridge, unwashed, single layer; eat within 2 days. Hull and freeze the rest.
  • Sweet potatoes — Cool, dry, dark; not the fridge. Roast whole until the skin bubbles.
  • Tomatoes — Counter, stem-side down, out of direct sun; never the fridge unless fully ripe and you can't eat them in time.
  • Turnips — Tops off; roots keep 2 weeks in the fridge. Small spring turnips are sweet raw; roast big ones.
  • Winter squash — Cool, dry, out of the fridge; months. Roast halves cut-side down; the seeds toast in the same oven.
  • Zucchini — Fridge, 1 week. Grate and salt for fritters; slice thin for raw salads; grill planks.

Where to get help

  • Sierra Harvest — local food access programs, gleaning, and the farmers-market EBT match: sierraharvest.org.

Sources