Between the coastal, Mediterranean-lite city of Santa Barbara and the western-turned-wine-bar Santa Ynez Valley in Southern California, is an old dairy barn bearing a giant Peace sign. Locals call it the Peace Barn, though its official title is Classic Organic Farm & Market, but when you hang a giant multi-colored peace sign on your barn, well, what else would you call it?
The Peace Barn is like a permanent farmers market for produce grown in the field across the road and eggs from the resident chickens. Baskets of Early Girl and Heirloom tomatoes rest next to stacks of zucchini; freshly picked organic lettuce lies beneath an automatic mister to remain crisp; and unusual varieties of cucumbers pile up next to sweet onions and little blue baskets of strawberries.
In the rainy winter months, you’ll find baskets of chanterelles. Across the street you can take a little blue basket from a stand and pick your own strawberries and raspberries. Under the summer sun, the scent of raspberries blends with hay and chaparral, and I couldn’t resist picking a red vine-ripe raspberry and popping it into my mouth.
When I arrived, the only creature guarding the till was this sleepy black cat. Signs tell you the prices – four Early Girl tomatoes for a dollar, and so on, but payment is based entirely on the honor system. It’s up to you to pay in cash, by check, or even by PayPal.
You might suppose people would take advantage, but everyone I’ve talked to feels strongly protective over this place. For the single raspberry I plucked, I ran back to my purse – which I’d left in my unlocked car – to deposit a dime in the kitty-guarded till, far above what a single raspberry must cost. The fact that we can have this, that it hasn’t been spoiled, speaks volumes about the community who shares it. The old fashioned sense of trust is both a result of and a preservation of the traditions of ranching, farming, and 1960s idealism that are still very much present. It’s a place that feeds your spirit even more than your body.
Find Classic Organic Farm & Market at 2323 Old Coast Highway, Gaviota.
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