Name of Farm: Phil Foster Ranch -- Pinnacle Brand Farmers: Phil and Katherine Foster Address: P.O. Box 249
San Juan Bautista, CA 95045 Phone: 831.623.2806 URL:pinnacleorganic.com
History
Phil Foster brings years of farm management experience to his own Pinnacle Brand which currently provides some of the best organic produce available. Foster Ranch is located on 52 acres in San Juan Bautista, California. Another 200 acres are leased southeast of Foster Ranch on what Phil refers to as his Santa Anna Ranch. "Katherine and I started our first organic production in 1989. By 1999 all of our land was certified organic. Growing organic seemed like a viable way for us to stay in business. The first two or three years were lean years for us. Everything we made went back into the farm." Although farming brings its challenges every year, Phil can't imagine doing anything else. "This has been my dream since my early twenties -- to have my own farm."
Phil and Katherine joined California Certified Organic Farmers (CCOF) early on. "We liked the fellowship of organic farmers that was present, the information sharing and the cooperation. It costs us about $10,000 a year in fees to be certified which includes inspections. It's expensive, but it's part of the cost of doing business." Phil states that there are educational and government benefits beyond certification. Phil utilizes cover crops, hedge rows, crop rotation, beneficial insects, barn owls, various irrigation methods, hand weeding and composting to produce his abundant, organic yield. "Our focus is soil building -- soil improvement. We make 2,000 tons of our own compost every year. Our managed compost is like another crop. Composting improves the health of our plants and they resist aphids better. It's our soil fertility that allows us to grow such a wide variety of crops and having good crop diversity has been key to our farm. Buyers want to see 30 to 40 items on your price list."
Phil also values his "excellent employees". Foster Ranch employs as many as 40 workers during peak season, but some of them have been with the farm since the early years. "Improving the working conditions for our employees is something that is important to us. We worry about our workers being able to find affordable housing. These are valuable members of our community and the opportunity to buy a house slips farther away every year." Phil is proud to offer his employees health benefits and profit-sharing. Phil referred to by name some of his "fabulous, skilled" employees: Efrain Contreras, Sergio Contreras, Raphael Elias, Martin Estrada, Manuel Estrada, Jose Gonzales, Gabriel Navarro, Lyn Nunes and Terence Welch.
Primary Product
Onions, garlic, sweet bell peppers, lettuces, melons, watermelon, celery, hard squash, apples, cabbage, and broccoli.
December crops to watch for:
Butternut Squash: Look for a nice tan color with no green or striping.
Bok Choi: Two varieties Pinnacle Brand offers are Joi Choi and Mei Qing Choi, a baby bok choi. Look for white color stems, green leaves and a crisp, fresh appearance. Avoid insect damage and/or a limp appearance.
Garlic: Look for a nice white skin with enclosed, firm cloves. Avoid if cloves are soft.
Onions: Three varieties Pinnacle Brand offers are a yellow Prince, a red Tango, and a white Blanco Duro. Look for firm, clean onions with no moisture or black mold around the neck. Avoid a soft root end.
25 to 30 percent of Pinnacle Brand is sold to wholesalers and 70 percent is marketed locally. Pinnacle Brand's client list includes Cosentinos, Draegers, Segonas, New Leaf, Staff of Life, Whole Foods Northern California and Veritable Vegetable. You can also find Pinnacle Brand at the Sunnyvale Farmers' Market, the downtown Santa Cruz Farmers' Market and the San Jose Farmers' Market at Valco.
Toasted walnuts and crumbled blue cheese for garnish
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook squash until soft, about 45 minutes. If you prefer to use a microwave, cook squash on high for 10 minutes, turn and cook 10 minutes more. Repeat until it is cooked through. Halve and remove seeds. Scrape insides into blender or food processor. While the squash is cooking, sauté one medium onion or shallot in butter or olive oil with the thyme until translucent. Add to food processor. Add 2 cups of broth and blend. Continue adding and blending until soup reaches desired consistency. Season and serve sprinkled with walnuts and blue cheese. The soup is also excellent without the garnish, served with crusty French bread.
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