Slow Life with Real Food

Our first farm to visit, Mt. Olive, was a little different from the 'typical' American farm we were expecting. It is owned by a group of Asian families (Malaysian and Chinese) that immigrated to California ten years ago.

Karen Ng, one of the owners, admitted to Guillermo and I that  when they arrived, they had little idea of how to farm in California. Their success mainly came due to trial and error, and patience. After planting their first mix of fruit trees, they realized the hard way that there were deer in California, and that deer like fruit and tasty green leaves. After they replanted, careful to avoid the deer pitfall, they soon found out that there were gophers in California. Over the years, with a lot of determination, they learned about the pests and diseases of California, and how to avoid them organically.

They grow a variety of produce, olives, and sprouts, and they also harvest earthworms. Their main 'farm house' has the feel of an Asian grocery market, where they sell many different products made from their harvests, including olive oil, salad dressing, candied walnuts (yum!), spaghetti sauce, etc. As we were leaving, Karen ran out with a bag of fruits and some walnuts for our trip. We have enjoyed them immensely!

Enjoy the photos we took