The Farmstead serves as a place of connection between people, farmer, food, animals and nature. It also holds our retail shop and adjacent organic fields. You can visit the shop to pick up delicious food, or slow down, unplug and gather your own from our U-Pick fields. 

The Farmstead shop is filled with local, organic food with a focus on quality. Here, visitors find freshly harvested produce grown in our own fields, produce from our favorite neighboring farms, and small batch staples made by local artisans that we have come to know and love. Additionally, we sell homemade baked goods made by owner Kim and Chef Mark, from family recipes that have been handed down through generations.

Sitting just behind the Farmstead are open hillsides where our beloved, heritage animals roam free. Kunekune pigs, goats, miniature donkeys, llamas, sheep, and a rescue mini jersey cow named Peaches. The animals love to nibble produce and have their ears scratched. At the Farmstead, families can bring a picnic lunch, venture across the street to our U-Pick fields, and harvest their own fruits and vegetables that change with the seasons.

Folded Hills white grapes grow alongside acres of row crops and heritage fruit trees of Blenheim apricots, peaches, apples, pears, persimmons and olives. Legendary farmer Tom Shepherd can be seen in the fields from sun up to sun down, except Saturdays, when you’ll find him at the Farmers Market. Tom has been farming organically in Santa Barbara for 47 years, since 1973.

At Folded Hills, Tom grows many varieties of heirloom fruits and vegetables. Tom plants some U-Pick fields where children can learn about where their food comes from. Renowned for the delicious freshness and flavor of his produce, Tom is also known for his fabulous herbes de Provençe.

Tom grows, dries and crushes the fragrant variety of herbs.  “Every Friday night I crush the herbs and take them to market on Saturday. They never go through a machine, it’s all done by hand. It’s my Friday night routine, crushing herbes de Provençe. It’s a beautiful, romantic routine. I love it.”