Quick Take
This October, 13 small, family-run farms will open their doors for Open Farm Tours, an annual event inspired by Open Studios Art Tour that invites visitors to discover the inner workings of farms, nurseries and orchards throughout Santa Cruz County.
On Oct. 12 and 13, visitors can dig sweet potatoes from the ground, pick dahlias, press apples and see the inner workings of farms, nurseries and orchards throughout Santa Cruz County during Open Farm Tours, an annual event that offers a peak behind the curtain at small, family-run farms.
Now in its 11th year, Open Farm Tours was inspired by the Open Studios Art Tour, an October expo when artists throughout Santa Cruz County open their homes and studios to the public. This year, 13 local farms – two in the mountains above Santa Cruz, and the rest scattered throughout the Pajaro Valley – will offer tours of their land, facilities and gardens, educational workshops, tastings, U-picks, and demonstrations on everything from olive oil pressing to tomato canning.
The purpose of this event isn’t just to offer a fun day on the farm, said founder Penny Ellis. “People need to get outside, meet the farmers and see how our food is grown because we’ve become so disconnected from that in so many ways,” said Ellis. “We’re part of nature. People don’t really look at things that way, that we’re part of an ecosystem. But learning how we fit into that, I think, is a very important part of our future.”
Each day will offer different experiences for visitors. On Saturday, Oct. 12, a Friend & Family Pass for $25 per car allows entry to nine farms open for drop-in tours from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Watsonville’s Prevedelli Farm, founded in 1945 and currently run by the fourth generation of family members, offers tours of its orchards of heritage apples and pears, as well as an apple butter cooking demo, fruit jam tasting, kids activities and a variety of products for sale.
At Beeline Blooms in Ben Lomond, guests can pick bouquets from an array of 300 varieties of dahlias while learning about the founder’s journey to create a regenerative nursery out of the ashes of 2020’s CZU fire.
New participant DeerBrook Farms is passionate about pollinators, said Ellis: “Whole areas are planted to attract pollinators, and [owner Rosie Fry] makes her own line of skin care products.” At this homestead-style farm, visitors can learn what is possible in a small space, she added.
Children are encouraged to visit the farms, and many, including Esperanza Community Farms in Watsonville and Luz Del Valle Farm in Corralitos, offer kid-specific activities like self-harvesting, crafts and apple pressing.
On Saturday, Oct. 12, a barbecue lunch will be served from noon to 4 p.m. at Thomas Family Farm in Aptos, with produce, cider, pies and ice cream donated by local companies Lakeside Organic Gardens, Martinelli’s, Beckmann’s Bakery and Marianne’s Ice Cream.
On Sunday, Oct. 13, four farms are offering tours with pre-registration only for $10 to $55 per car, depending on the farm. At Dos Aguilas olive grove in Corralitos, farm manager Roger Wolfe will give an immersive olive oil production experience, including tours of the olive grove, oil tasting and olive curing demonstration. Pork and egg producer Pajaro Pastures will give tours of its ecological livestock areas, and is co-hosting a brunch that Sunday morning with chef Jessica Yarr, who uses its products at her restaurant, The Grove Cafe and Bakery in Felton.
Last year, Open Farms Tours gained statewide recognition by partnering with Community Alliance with Family Farmers (CAFF), a nonprofit organization that seeks to build more resilient agroecosystems; support environmental, gender and racial justice in California’s food systems; and create practical solutions for farmers — all goals that align with Open Farms’ own mission.
This year, CAFF’s fiscal sponsorship went toward event costs. Next year, with the help of a specialty grant received through UC Davis, Ellis will expand Open Farm Tours to Monterey and San Benito counties, with the goal of creating a stronger agrotourism network across the state.
“Ideally, I’d like to see this over the whole state of California,” said Ellis. “Our mission has always been to advocate for a sustainable regional food system that connects the community.”
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