Words by Andrea Gemmet
On a sunny day in San Gregorio, couples, young families and groups of friends sneak samples as they fill boxes with bright red berries in Blue House Farm’s organic U-pick strawberry patch. “I’m not sure what I’m supposed to do here,” one novice says hesitantly as she joins her friends in the field. A minute later, she loudly exclaims, “That’s the best strawberry I’ve ever tasted!” And just like that, another person discovers the delicious difference between the supermarket aisle and freshly picked local produce.
Few places can match the extraordinary beauty of San Mateo County’s rural coastline, but its dramatic ocean views and sandy beaches are just part of the area’s allure. Amid the small towns and untamed open spaces are grassy meadows with contentedly grazing cattle and acres of carefully tilled fields, making the Coastside a rare oasis for small family farms and ranches.
If you’ve ever driven along Interstate 5 through the Central Valley, you quickly realize from the monotonous scenery that much of California’s agriculture consists of large-scale operations. In contrast, Coastside farms more closely resemble the nostalgic illustrations in children’s books, and they often welcome visitors. Offering everything from monthly barn dances and tours to volunteer harvest days, produce stands and summertime U-pick fields, these farms can be a deliciously enlightening way to support local growers.
Cover photo and photo of Ryan by Paulette Phlipot
While many Coastsiders have been working the land for several generations, Ryan Casey, the owner of Blue House Farm in San Gregorio, wasn’t born into this life. Originally from San Diego, he discovered his love of growing things as a student at the University of California at Santa Cruz and made the leap to farming after working for a few years in gardening and landscaping. “It’s good, honest, healthy work,” declares Ryan, who’s been farming for nearly 20 years now.
It’s also hard work. When Ryan started leasing the former San Gregorio Farm on Highway 84, the rambling property was in a serious state of disrepair. He inherited a tumbled-down barn and an old farmworker house that had fully collapsed. “The reality of a lot of the farms out here is that, as farmers are retiring, they’re not investing in the infrastructure,” he shares. And farms need more than fertile soil to survive. They need functional irrigation systems, reliable electricity and sheds for washing and packing produce.
Daniel Olstein, the director of land stewardship at Peninsula Open Space Trust (POST), refers to “less sexy” systems like wells, septic and storage as essential for keeping San Mateo County’s agriculture heritage alive. The crumbling infrastructure is often a byproduct of owners who didn’t invest in upkeep because they just couldn’t see much of a future for farming on the coast. And it’s easy to see why. The county has lost 46% percent of its agricultural land since 1990. That grim statistic spurred POST to launch its Farmland Futures Initiative and prevent redevelopment by purchasing farms or securing easement agreements.
But that wasn’t enough. “We came to an understanding that, even with our efforts, the land may be protected from development, but farming wasn’t necessarily being sustained,” Daniel says. Now POST pairs with other local agencies to support projects ranging from farmworker housing to irrigation ponds.
Photo: Andrea Laue
On a recent sunny Saturday at picture-perfect Blue House Farm, there’s no trace of its ramshackle past. A stately new barn houses the produce stand, where you can find an array of heirloom dried beans, freshly picked organic fruits and vegetables, local breads and pastries. Past a tidy row of four farmworker houses are tidy fields of flourishing vegetables and the popular U-pick berry patch.
The work to revitalize the 74-acre organic farm has taken eight years. “We’ve been doing it little by little, and just made do with what we had until it was all built,” Ryan shares. “Now, I’m just trying to do some farming without any ambitious projects.”
This spring, Ryan reached another milestone: he purchased Blue House Farm from POST, graduating from renter to owner. There’s plenty of community interest in supporting local agriculture, but he still feels a need to spread the word about its benefits, for both the farmer and the food buyer. “I encourage people to visit a farmers market or take a drive out to a farm that’s open to the public like mine, with a U-pick or a farmstand, and try some different things,” he says.
The next time you spend a day on the San Mateo County coast, plan to bring home more than sandy towels and soggy swimsuits. The allure of the region’s agricultural riches is a good reason to take along an empty cooler and some ice to stow the goodies you’ll collect. Here’s a sampling of small farms that welcome visitors by offering produce stands, tours, U-pick berries, special events and volunteer opportunities.
Blue House Farm, San Gregorio
Ryan Casey’s organic farm grows more than 50 different vegetables and features U-pick strawberries as well as a farm stand selling fresh produce, flowers, local ceramics, pastries and bread. “July is a great time for a whole lot of stuff,” Ryan says, especially melons, peppers and lettuce. Peruse the wide selection of dried heirloom beans, including his favorite variety, Good Mother Stallard. You can also find Blue House produce at farmers markets in San Carlos and at the College of San Mateo.
Weekends, Noon-5PM. 950 La Honda Road. bluehousefarm.com
Photo: Paulette Phlipot
Lemos Farm, Half Moon Bay
On weekends, this kid-friendly destination offers everything from pony rides and goat yoga to bounce houses and a petting zoo, as this working family farm transforms into an agricultural amusement park. On weekdays, the focus is on raising Christmas trees, pumpkins, corn and hay, along with livestock. Instead of a farmstand, you’ll find a concessions stand and a deli offering sandwiches and burgers. Opening hours expand when the pumpkin patch opens in September. “The real farm work is done all year long right here at Lemos Farm. We see agritourism as an exciting opportunity for the general public to experience and understand what farm life is like by interacting directly with animals and various farm-themed activities during their visit,” says Frank Lemos.
Weekends, 10AM to 5PM. 12320 San Mateo Road. lemosfarm.com
Pie Ranch, Pescadero
This nonprofit educational farm hosts monthly barn dances that become field dances in the summer, along with special events ranging from a day of pie-baking and yin yoga to a goat-butchering workshop that sends participants home with freshly made sausage. Get down and dirty by pitching in at one of Pie Ranch’s volunteer days, held on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and the third Saturday of the month (sign up online). In July, look for mixed-berry streusel and lemon-olallieberry pies at the farm stand, plus heirloom beans, jams, grass-fed beef and pasture-raised pork and chicken as well as locally made crafts.
Farm stand, weekends 10AM-5PM; weekdays (closed Tuesdays), Noon-5PM
2080 Highway 1. pieranch.org or @pie_ranch
Harley Farms, Pescadero
Fields of grazing goats, frolicking kids and creamy goat cheese are the draw at Harley Farms. Sign up for a tour or just wander around the pens before browsing its shop for chive-covered chevre and fresh feta cheese, plus soaps, truffles and ravioli, all made with goat milk.
Open daily, 11AM-4PM
205 North Street. harleyfarms.com
R&R Farms, Pescadero
R&R’s U-pick fields open in spring with strawberries, followed by olallieberries in July and blackberries and raspberries from August to November. At the farm stand, find fresh herbs, eggs, dried beans and peppers, plus pantry staples and locally baked pan dulce.
Tuesday-Sunday, 10AM-6PM, Mondays, Noon-6PM
2310 Pescadero Creek Road. facebook.com/rrfreshfarms or 650-954-0055
Bianchi Flowers, Pescadero
Open in September and October (check Instagram for dates), Bianchi offers U-pick flowers and tomatoes, and welcomes picnickers. Half Moon Bay is famous for its pumpkin patches, but fourth-generation farmer Bridget Jett offers the chance to wander a field of pumpkins still on the vine and pick what you like. “Kids don’t even realize that pumpkins have prickly leaves and stems!” she marvels.
Farm stand, daily 10AM-5PM (September and October only)
243 Butano Cutoff. @bianchi_flowers
Potrero Nuevo Farm, Half Moon Bay
With its organic produce donated to nonprofit Abundant Grace Coastside Worker, there’s no farm stand at Potrero Nuevo, but it welcomes volunteers to help with harvesting on Mondays and Thursdays from May through mid-November. Children are welcome with their parents, and kid-safe tools are provided. Sign up online.
1045 Tunitas Creek Road. potreronuevofarm.org
Ouroboros, Half Moon Bay
This aquaponic farm grows a variety of lettuces, herbs and other greens, available at its farm stand.
Thursday-Sunday, 10AM-4PM
12511 San Mateo Road. ouroborosfarms.com
Swanton Berry Farm, Davenport
This scenically situated spread, just south of San Mateo County, is the first certified organic strawberry farm in California. Summer weekends summon crowds to its expansive U-pick strawberry fields. Swanton’s farm stand features jams, pies, chocolate-covered strawberries and vegan soup.
Farm stand: Daily 8AM-7PM
U-pick: Weekends 9AM-5PM
25 Swanton Road. swantonberryfarm.com
Farm Finds openspacetrust.org/local-farms-guide thesanfranciscopeninsula.com/fresh-as-it-gets