Farm Fresh To You
Encyclopedia
Farm Fresh To You is a subscription Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) provider of organic produce based in Capay Valley
, California
. The farm was started in 1976 by two back-to-the-landers, Martin Barnes and Kathleen Barsotti who were raised in California suburbs.
Inspired by University of California, Davis
professor Isao Fujimoto, the farm began as a garden on rented land. The couple helped to start the Davis Certified Farmers' Market
and the Davis Food Coop Storefront before moving with their twin boys to 22 acres (89,030.9 m²) in Capay Valley in 1979. The farm was one of the earliest in Yolo County to have organic certification
from the California Certified Organic Farmers.
Local sales were supplemented by sales to San Francisco Bay area farmers' markets and to wholesalers such as Veritable Vegetables and Greenleaf Produce Two more sons were born, but in 1990 the couple suffered a marital breakup leaving Kathleen to manage the business. She founded the Farm Fresh to You subscription CSA in 1992, and it soon became an essential element in the farm's income.
Kathleen died from breast cancer
in 2000 leaving her sons to inherit the farm. They expanded the farm, buying and renting land from neighbors, and establishing a retail store, Capay Organic, at the San Francisco Ferry Building
.
By 2008, Farm Fresh to You had grown to over 4000 families in Northern California making it one of the largest CSA farms. The boys have kept alive the ideals of their pioneering parents by providing fresh, organically grown food, husbanding the land, and respecting the farm's employees.
Capay Valley
Capay Valley is a mostly rural valley west of the Capay Hills, and northwest of Sacramento in Yolo County, California, United States.Cache Creek flows through the valley and the Capay Valley AVA...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. The farm was started in 1976 by two back-to-the-landers, Martin Barnes and Kathleen Barsotti who were raised in California suburbs.
Inspired by University of California, Davis
University of California, Davis
The University of California, Davis is a public teaching and research university established in 1905 and located in Davis, California, USA. Spanning over , the campus is the largest within the University of California system and third largest by enrollment...
professor Isao Fujimoto, the farm began as a garden on rented land. The couple helped to start the Davis Certified Farmers' Market
Farmers' market
A farmers' market consists of individual vendors—mostly farmers—who set up booths, tables or stands, outdoors or indoors, to sell produce, meat products, fruits and sometimes prepared foods and beverages...
and the Davis Food Coop Storefront before moving with their twin boys to 22 acres (89,030.9 m²) in Capay Valley in 1979. The farm was one of the earliest in Yolo County to have organic certification
Organic certification
Organic certification is a certification process for producers of organic food and other organic agricultural products. In general, any business directly involved in food production can be certified, including seed suppliers, farmers, [food] processors, retailers and restaurants.Requirements vary...
from the California Certified Organic Farmers.
Local sales were supplemented by sales to San Francisco Bay area farmers' markets and to wholesalers such as Veritable Vegetables and Greenleaf Produce Two more sons were born, but in 1990 the couple suffered a marital breakup leaving Kathleen to manage the business. She founded the Farm Fresh to You subscription CSA in 1992, and it soon became an essential element in the farm's income.
Kathleen died from breast cancer
Breast cancer
Breast cancer is cancer originating from breast tissue, most commonly from the inner lining of milk ducts or the lobules that supply the ducts with milk. Cancers originating from ducts are known as ductal carcinomas; those originating from lobules are known as lobular carcinomas...
in 2000 leaving her sons to inherit the farm. They expanded the farm, buying and renting land from neighbors, and establishing a retail store, Capay Organic, at the San Francisco Ferry Building
Ferry Building
The San Francisco Ferry Building is a terminal for ferries that travel across the San Francisco Bay and a shopping center located on The Embarcadero in San Francisco, California. On top of the building is a large clock tower, which can be seen from Market Street, a main thoroughfare of the city...
.
By 2008, Farm Fresh to You had grown to over 4000 families in Northern California making it one of the largest CSA farms. The boys have kept alive the ideals of their pioneering parents by providing fresh, organically grown food, husbanding the land, and respecting the farm's employees.
External Links
- farmfreshtoyou.com, Fruit Grower News
- farmfreshtoyou.com, Davis Enterprise
- farmfreshtoyou.com, Agriculture Pioneer Award
- farmfreshtoyou.com, UC Small Farm News