COUNTRY FARMING IN EXCLUSIVE ZIP CODES

Who would ever think about having a chicken coop in tony Brentwood, California?  Not exactly a place that conjures up a “country” image.  But that was among the many wonders seen when I recently explored the abundant (and registered organic) gardens of a long-time family friend.

Having heard about “Marcie’s garden" for some time, a date was finally made for a tour and lunch.  Marcie Polier Swartz and I grew up in the same Los Angeles neighborhood, and our families have a long relationship. She is a very successful entrepreneur.   Having sold her business, she devotes her time to philanthropic efforts, her family, and, yes, her chickens and gardens.  Marcie told me she’s had chickens both at this home and another in Brentwood for the past 27 years. Why? For a bunch of reasons. The chickens are fascinating to watch and actually do have a “pecking” order, although I didn’t observe any discourse while in the coop.  The eggs, of course, are ridiculously fresh; each chicken lays one per day.  And then there is the waste product (to be delicate) which is an integral part of her compost production. 

Left: fresh laid eggs
Below:  I am in the coop with the day's harvest.  By the way, the color of the legs dictates the color of the shell -- white, brown and even pale blue!

The gardens are a series of terraced beds, outfitted with a drip watering system. Practically every inch of space is planted with berries, apples, stone fruit, tomatoes, swiss chard, zucchini, radishes, avocados, etc.  Up top by the pool are pots of herbs.  Strategically strung throughout the garden are cd's, a trick I have employed in my own garden. The reflection of the sun on the cd's is bothersome to pests and predators, and acts as a repellent. Following the garden tour, we sat down to a delicious lunch and talked about the garden, her homemade jams and sauces, and lots of other things ...

From top:  Potting area; just-picked zucchini; gorgeous swiss chard; zucchini blossoms; radishes; composter; frozen berries for jam; the most delicious Jam Crostata (click for recipe and Marcie's website)

Apples still on the trees above and the picked fruit in the fridge waiting to be used ..

Clockwise from above:  c/d's as a repellent; slender asparagus; picked berries and avocado

The second garden visited and photographed is in Beverly Hills and belongs to restaurateur par excellence Giacomino Drago and his beautiful wife Alessandra. This amazing outdoor space -- comprising an upward hillside, outdoor kitchen with pizza oven (someone was brought from Italy to oversee the construction), and wine room -- was meticulously planned/executed some five years ago. One thing I am certain about is that gardeners (myself included) find great passion in what they do; it is very therapeutic.  Clearly living in Southern California provides an abundance of wonderful produce for every budget, but there is something special about picking it from one's own home.

Giacomino's father made a living in Italy just this way (no restaurants but as a grower), so it is in his blood.  The terraced space produces more passion fruit than one could imagine, along with: celery, eggplant, tomatoes, citrus, stone fruit, apples, avocado, onion, every kind of herb, olives, berries, melon, squash, and grapes ... to name what I remember.  Much of the produce goes to the various Drago restaurants: Il Pastaio, Via Allora, Piccolo Paradiso, Il Segreto, Yojisan, Il Buco and Sushi House.

Onions, strawberries and various tomatoes ...

Top is some of the passion fruit above beds of lavender; below are tiered gardens.  The entire space is planted and productive.

Olive trees in the foreground ready for picking

Tons of citrus

Nonna's homemade marinara

"Fruits of labor" are everywhere

Giacomino with my parting gifts (Grazie!)

Passion fruit awaiting use

So what was the takeaway from these two visits? The actual take-away for me was lots of goodies:  eggs, jam, marinara sauce, celery, passion fruit and much more, all promptly used and enjoyed.  Besides that, Giacomino is thinking about getting some chickens, Marcie will continue putting up her fantastic berry jams, and I have picked out the space for my terraced produce garden to be installed by next spring!

Perfect spot for mine ...