We are pleased to introduce you to two fruit farms, Frog Hollow Farm and Gabriel Farm, both eager to work with faith groups to market their well known produce. For faith communities interested in CSAs (Community Supported Agriculture) and produce stands, these farms provide an opportunity to expand local food offerings beyond vegetables. Fruit is also eligible for purchase with the “Making CSAs and Produce Stand a SNAP” program. The Collaborative can provide grant funding in the form of CalFresh incentives, which helps reduce the price of the CSA box and farm stand produce for CalFresh recipients. Contact the Interfaith Sustainable Food Collaborative for more information.
Gabriel Farm
For the authentic family farm experience, look no further than Gabriel Farm in Sebastopol. Originally owned by the Gabriel family, the farm has been a testament to the family farm lifestyle since its first days.
Current owners, Lucy and Torrey Olson, bought the farm in 1999. Since then, they have been selling their produce throughout the Bay Area and now have a son, age 12. Their prime product, Asian Pears, can be found at any Whole Foods Market in the Bay Area. They also have other well known buyers, including corporate campuses of well known companies such as Facebook.
Lucy and Torrey regularly invite CSA members to participate in the farm. They wanted to show the difference between treating the farm like the working farm it is, instead of like an amusement park farm. They realized that when people are committed to the farm through their CSA/U-Pick model, they have a more sincere experience.
Their CSA/U-Pick model is different from the average CSA model. At Gabriel Farm, you purchase a case of their delicious apple and pear juice and then have access to come pick ripe fruit throughout the season, as much as you want to buy. Not only are you gaining access to local fruit, such as apples, blackberries, and raspberries, but you also participate in the picking of the fruit, becoming a part of the farm and your food system.
Torrey recognizes the importance faith groups play in the wider community and wants to work with faith groups on bridging the gap between food and faith.
“[Congregations] form a pillar of the local community and farms form another local community pillar – we have the opportunity to have the two work together more in tandem [to build an even stronger community],” says Torrey.
Gabriel Farm is looking for new faith partners to help build this partnership, particularly through produce stands. Reflecting on the challenge of local farms earning money at competitive farmers markets, Torrey noted that a smaller produce stand after services could introduce new ways for farms to make money, while also building a new sense of community at the congregation.
Frog Hollow Farm’s Fruit CSA
If you want to find a place where you can create a community around food, look no further than Frog Hollow Farm. Frog Hollow Farm offers exciting ways to learn about how your food is grown, all while providing delicious, farm fresh fruit.
Frog Hollow’s all fruit CSA boxes are delivered throughout the Bay Area at over 50 drop-sites, from San Rafael, through San Francisco and Oakland, to south of San Jose. What makes Frog Hollow’s CSA special, says CSA director Lael Gerhart, is not only the all fruit nature of the CSA box, including peaches, nectarines, and pluots, but also the commitment to sustainability and building community beyond the box.
Of Frog Hollow’s 50 Bay Area drop-sites, 2 drop-sites are located at faith-based sites. Our Savior Lutheran Church in Lafayette has hosted a drop-site for many years, which we featured in our newsletter this past May. The most recent faith-based drop-site at St. John Armenian Apostolic Church in San Francisco started in June when a member of the CSA and church thought it would be a great way for her church community to connect with the farm and the broader community. Each faith-based drop-site serves as a way to connect food and faith for congregation members, while also open to the public, serving the greater community.
Frog Hollow prides themselves in building face-to-face relationships with their customers. At every new CSA drop-site, Frog Hollow introduces the community to their produce through tastings events. Frog Hollow also hosts at least 3 “meet-and-greet” events per year at their farm in Brentwood, CA, where members can meet farmer and owner Al Courchesne and staff. These events are a fantastic way to “connect on a more personal level” between the farm and the CSA members, says Lael.
In addition to community building, Frog Hollow engages in extensive sustainable farming practices. Frog Hollow makes over 2 tons of their own compost annually, provides native plants to host bees, and eliminates food waste by utilizing its imperfect fruit. “The vast majority of our harvest is ‘cosmetically imperfect,’” says Lael. “There is a huge issue of food waste in the United States and there is an attachment to food looking ‘perfect.’ Our fruit is just as delicious and high quality, and we like to educate our customers that we can eat ‘imperfect’ fruit.” Fruit that cannot be sold in the CSA or at Farmers’ Markets is utilized at Frog Hollow. They use this fruit in their kitchen to make jams, dried fruit, and pastries that you can add to your CSA box for an additional price. If the fruit is too damaged to use, it is used to make compost to feed their trees.
If you are interested in starting a new CSA drop-site with Frog Hollow Farm, Frog Hollow asks for a minimum of 15 members to start.