By Kerry Allen, Weekend Hippie
Tucked among the windswept rolling hills of San Julian Valley, just past grazing cattle and the clapboard remnants of the Jalama Road schoolhouse sits Jalama Road Family Farm Stand, Santa Barbara’s newest farm stand. It’s not only a place to stock the larder with fresh veggies, baked delicacies and small batch canned goods, but it’s also your chance to meet new friends and support local farmers.
Jalama Road Family Farm Stand is a collaborative effort put up by the Pata family (their farming history dates to the 1600s) and the Malloy family (part of the well-known surfing Malloys) to bring together produce and artisanal goods from their ranching and farming neighbors from Jalama Road and nearby Highway 1. When I stopped by the stand was in full swing, peddling an array of seasonal produce—plump heirloom tomatoes, pumpkins perfectly shaped for carving, impressively odd squash, and a selection of just-picked herbs. Erin Pata had just added a range of the stand’s branded wild sage honey and butter beans, and Santa Rosa plum jam from Katie Rose Isaacson who lives just up the road on her family’s ranch. Katie picks, cuts and cans fruits from her family’s orchard using recipes from old ranch cookbooks.
Farm stands are your direct line to meeting the people that grow the food you eat. Plus, the produce and homemade goods available at farm stands cost less (no middle man), support Santa Barbara farmers (buy local), and taste better (fresh from the field means everything is vine ripened). Santa Barbara farmers host farms stands throughout the county giving you plenty of opportunity to support local farmers and eat healthier. You can find more farm stands at Weekend Hippie.
Visit the Jalama Road Family Farm Stand
Open: Friday – Sunday, noon – 5pm. Check fall hours by visiting their Web site.
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