100 PUNCHMAGAZINE.COM Few places can match the extraordinary beauty of San Mateo County’s rural coastline, but its dramatic ocean views and sandy beaches are just part of the area’s allure. Amid the small towns and untamed open spaces are grassy meadows with contentedly grazing cattle and acres of carefully tilled fields, making the Coastside a rare oasis for small family farms and ranches. If you’ve ever driven along Interstate 5 through the Central Valley, you quickly realize from the monotonous scenery that much of California’s agriculture consists of large-scale operations. In contrast, Coastside farms more closely resemble the nostalgic illustrations in children’s books, and they often welcome visitors. Offering everything from monthly barn dances and tours to volunteer harvest days, produce stands and summertime U-pick fields, these farms can be a deliciously enlightening way to support local growers. While many Coastsiders have been working the land for several generations, Ryan Casey, the owner of Blue House Farm in San Gregorio, wasn’t born into this life. Originally from San Diego, he discovered his love of growing things as a student at the University of California at Santa Cruz and made the leap to farming after working for a few years in gardening and landscaping. “It’s good, honest, healthy work,” declares Ryan, who’s been farming for nearly 20 years now. PHOTOGRAPHY: PAULETTE PHLIPOT Out in the Fields
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