About Our Farm

Mano Farm is a 1.3 acre certified organic seed, vegetable and herb farm located in Ojai, California. We farm year-round, emphasizing the use of human labor and hand tools. On-farm apprenticeship, interns, and work trade opportunities are primarily available through the WWOOF-USA network. We offer Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) memberships to residents of the Ojai Valley and sell our seeds through our sister company, All Good Things Organic Seeds. We are also proponents of food justice, a movement that seeks to increase the availability of nutritious, healthy food to low-income individuals and families. Low income and fully subsidized CSA shares are available, and we also accept EBT/SNAP (food stamp) benefits for CSA payments. Contact us for more details.

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    Field Notes: Mano Farm’s Community Supported Agriculture Newsletter: March 18, 2012 Hey CSA members, A few weeks ago we introduced a “trade basket” to the farm’s CSA table. The concept works like this: if there’s a particular item from your share – say, kale – that you don’t want, you can exchange that item by leaving it in the trade basket and exchanging it for anything else that’s in there (say, arugula). We’ve been starting off the trade basket by adding an extra item, usually with something that we have sparse quantities of. This means that the first person to use the trade basket gets a magical bonus item.☺ I wanted to remind you all that the trade basket is a zero sum game: in order to withdraw from it, you must add to it. Whatever is extra is in the basket, and not on the table. If you add something to the basket and take something additional from the table (beyond what you’ve taken from the CSA share), you’re taking something from someone else’s CSA share. Also, if you grab from the trade basket without adding anything, you might be creating a situation in which someone who wants to share doesn’t have anything to receive for his or her trade. The Los Angeles Times published a great rubbed Kale salad recipe recently; check out “The California cook: Kale in a salad? Yes” (March 10, 2012). This dish seems to be a perennial favorite amongst CSA folks, so it’s always nice to add another take on it. Some repeated information (for newer folks): • Our CSA member and friend Ben DiGregorio bakes bread that you purchase and can pick up during CSA pickup days. Email him at bencooksinojai@gmail.com or call 805.272.8023. • Folks who are interested in finding local chicken need look no farther than left when you enter of our property driveway. Our friends Paul and Darinka have Funny Farms, offer locally raised birds every few weeks. Email them at funnyfarms@me.com or call at 805.669.8478. • Our friends, Eric Hodge, and Taylor Connell, have started an Ojai Community Fish Co-Op. They fish off the Ventura Coast, then the next day sell what they caught to the community. These folks are awesome… well, Eric Hodge is basically brilliant. He fishes, he makes soap (we’re going to put some of his soap in your CSA shares in the coming week), and he’s an incredible auto mechanic. If you are interested in being added to their mailing list, call Taylor at 805.640.5643 or email ojaifishcoop@gmail.com.

    Field Notes: Mano Farm’s Community Supported Agriculture Newsletter: March 18, 2012

    Hey CSA members,

    A few weeks ago we introduced a “trade basket” to the farm’s CSA table. The concept works like this: if there’s a particular item from your share – say, kale – that you don’t want, you can exchange that item by leaving it in the trade basket and exchanging it for anything else that’s in there (say, arugula). We’ve been starting off the trade basket by adding an extra item, usually with something that we have sparse quantities of. This means that the first person to use the trade basket gets a magical bonus item.☺

    I wanted to remind you all that the trade basket is a zero sum game: in order to withdraw from it, you must add to it. Whatever is extra is in the basket, and not on the table. If you add something to the basket and take something additional from the table (beyond what you’ve taken from the CSA share), you’re taking something from someone else’s CSA share. Also, if you grab from the trade basket without adding anything, you might be creating a situation in which someone who wants to share doesn’t have anything to receive for his or her trade.

    The Los Angeles Times published a great rubbed Kale salad recipe recently; check out “The California cook: Kale in a salad? Yes” (March 10, 2012). This dish seems to be a perennial favorite amongst CSA folks, so it’s always nice to add another take on it. Some repeated information (for newer folks):

    • Our CSA member and friend Ben DiGregorio bakes bread that you purchase and can pick up during CSA pickup days. Email him at bencooksinojai@gmail.com or call 805.272.8023.

    • Folks who are interested in finding local chicken need look no farther than left when you enter of our property driveway. Our friends Paul and Darinka have Funny Farms, offer locally raised birds every few weeks. Email them at funnyfarms@me.com or call at 805.669.8478.

    • Our friends, Eric Hodge, and Taylor Connell, have started an Ojai Community Fish Co-Op. They fish off the Ventura Coast, then the next day sell what they caught to the community. These folks are awesome… well, Eric Hodge is basically brilliant. He fishes, he makes soap (we’re going to put some of his soap in your CSA shares in the coming week), and he’s an incredible auto mechanic. If you are interested in being added to their mailing list, call Taylor at 805.640.5643 or email ojaifishcoop@gmail.com.

    Posted on Sunday, March 18th 2012

    Tags CSA mano farm newsletter organic community supported agriculture agriculture

    US Drought Monitor

    For anyone interested in the climate of their area, check out the Current U.S. Drought Monitor, courtesy of the National Drought Mitigation Center. This week’s report for the West region remarks that, “Water Year snow water equivalent values are historically low with not much in the way of time to make up the extreme deficits. Most of the region is still living off the benefits of good snows and water from last winter, which may help to mitigate impacts to some degree, but there are already concerns about water allocation limits during the upcoming growing season.” Also check out the state specific drought monitor, which breaks down drought assessments by county.

    Posted on Sunday, March 4th 2012

    Tags climate drought southern california water agriculture

    Judge Sides With Monsanto: Ridicules Farmers’ Right to Grow Food Without Fear, Contamination and Economic Harm | OSGATA

    “On February 24, Judge Naomi Buchwald handed down her ruling on a motion to dismiss in the case of Organic Seed Growers and Trade Assn et al v. Monsanto after hearing oral argument on January 31st in Federal District Court in Manhattan. Her ruling to dismiss the case brought against Monsanto on behalf of organic farmers, seed growers and agricultural organizations representing farmers and citizens was met with great disappointment by the plaintiffs.”

    Posted on Sunday, March 4th 2012

    Tags monsanto GMO organic seed agriculture transgenic

    California farms are looking greener than ever

    This is article shows how the globalization of the food marketplace has benefitted some of the larger scale farmers in California. A quote from farmer Stuart Woolf: “Bakersfield to Sacramento is like a giant greenhouse with really good soil,” he said. “The big picture is that we are going to be perpetually stretching our resources as California feeds more people around the globe.”

    Posted on Tuesday, January 24th 2012

    Tags agriculture globalization california economy latimes