Our lemons this week came from Hilltop & Canyon Farms in Carpinteria.
Hilltop & Canyon Farms is the certified organic collaboration of husband-and-wife team Robert Abbott and Tessa van der Werff. They specialize in avocados, citrus, organic field flower bouquets, heirloom shell beans, and specialty vegetables. Robert’s family has been farming the same Carpinteria land since 1923 and were pioneers in the local avocado industry. Most of the farm is still planted in avocados — some trees are seventy years old and going strong. As organic growers, they rely heavily on home-made compost, mulch and more mulch, humus teas, and cover cropping. You can find them at most Santa Barbara Farmer’s Markets, and at the Ojai market on Sundays.
