Slow Life with Real Food

What luck we had! We called Helene and Robert Beck, searching intently for their farm, Beck Grove, at which we intended to drop in on an unannounced visit, and caught them just as they were leaving for a movie. One of the first things out of Helene's mouth was: "Where are you?, What are you doing tonight??".  My immediate thought was: "Could she be offering us a place to stay? Oh, please, oh, please."

Not only was it an invitation to spend the night at the farm, but also an invite to the movies.  (3:10 to Yuma, what a treat!)  a wonderful dinner, and a night's stay at their cozy "Casita de Beck", a beautifully decorated guest cottage furnished with incredible farmhouse antiques. Such luck "finding" such hospitable and generous farmers!  G and I were laughing and giggling and jumping up and down with excitement. Before bed time, the delicious dinner that Helene prepared included an incredible dish of frozen ripe persimmons with cream and freshly ground black pepper.

We woke up next morning refreshed, and headed to the main farmhouse to find coffee and persimmon smoothies lovingly prepared for us by Helene and Robert.  We then ventured out to explore the 30 acres of groves where the Becks grown blood oranges, kumquats, passion fruit, lemongrass, persimmons, kaffir limes, bearss limes, satsumas, guavas, and hoja santa. (and I'm sure I missed a few) The grounds are impeccably kept, and we were amazed at the professionalism of the entire operation.  We visited the offices, the fruit sorting space, the freezer and storage rooms, the packing and shipping room, and talked with Mark, the farm manager. Helene and Robert Beck are very successful professional farmers, and they manage to retain a warm and inviting small-farm "feel" to their operation.

Both G and I thoroughly enjoyed our time spent at Beck Grove, and are very appreciative of their generosity and flexibility.

Check out our photos from Beck Grove.