Love Your Local Farmer

Local farms and Community Supported Agriculture programs (or CSAs) are a great resource for procuring fresh seasonal produce. They often have a better selection than many supermarkets and prices of the weekly vegetable boxes are on par with what you would pay in store. They offer fresh organic, seasonal fruits and vegetables that typically stay fresh longer and taste better than what you find at most grocery stores. You also get the opportunity to try stuff that you wouldn’t normally pick up on your average shopping trip. Social distancing is no problem because many farms will deliver right to your doorstep.

Blosser Urban Garden (BUG)

The BUG is a cool little certified organic urban garden and farm stand tucked away on Blosser Road in Santa Maria California. The Mahoney family has been farming in this area for three generations and they have been growing certified organic produce since 1996. They have full and half share CSA boxes and a juice subscription containing fruits and veggies great for juicing. All the fruits and vegetables in their CSA boxes are certified organic and delivery is free. Check out the BUG website for all the details about their CSA program

Talley Farms Fresh Harvest Box

The CSA that we are currently members of is the Talley Farms Fresh Harvest box. We are on a bi-weekly schedule and get the original box. Most of the veggies used in this blog came from Talley Farms. They have several pick up locations along the central coast of California, and for an additional fee, they’ll even deliver it right to your door. This is a fantastic service to offer as good produce is so hard to find, especially these days. We pickup our box at Naughty Oak Brewery in Orcutt. Even though the Naughty Oak tasting room is closed for service you can still get beer to go when you pick up your veggie box.

Talley Farms Fresh Harvest Instagram Image Credit @talleyfarmsfreshharvest

Roasted red and yellow beets from the Talley Farms Box

Carrots and yellow wax beans from Talley Farms

U-Pick Blueberries

U-Pick Blueberries is another Mahoney family farm located about 3 miles west of Sisquoc on Dominion Road. They aren’t just in the blueberry business, they also grow strawberries, blackberries, stone fruit and stock locally made honey at the farm stand. No sprays are used on the berries so you can pick and eat right on the spot. U-Pick blueberries is a great escape for the entire family and the berries are delicious. They typically open in March or April depending on the weather. Check out the U-Pick Blueberries Facebook page for more details on their hours and what’s ripe.

Images above were taken from the U-Pick Blueberries Instagram page.

Dare 2 Dream Farms

Dare 2 Dream Farms is located off the beaten path west of Lompoc, CA, down a beautiful wooded road on La Salle Canyon. They specialize in backyard chickens, handcrafted chicken coops, free-range eggs, locally grown produce, and special farm events. They also offer a CSA program, and have a farm stand that is open several days a week from 10:00 am to dark. The farm stand not only sells fresh produce and eggs, they offer cheeses, homemade breads, and personal hygiene products that are made with fresh and organic ingredients (which is great for people who have sensitive skin and for those who are concerned with chemicals that are often found in mass produced skincare products).