Owners

Ben Lucero and Karen Toombs

Ben was raised in Watsonville where he grew up farming. He started his first organic farm in the 1960s, and although he found it difficult to make a living he kept at it. When the farmers’ market movement finally took hold 20 years later he began to turn a profit for the first time. In 2006, Ben’s eldest son, Curtis, returned from the military to work on the family farm.

Karen started out as a loyal Lucero farmers’ market customer. Soon she began lending a hand on the farm where she met Ben.

Chef Canales says that Ben is the one who taught him how tomatoes should be grown, by knowing when and how to restrict watering. And as an extension of that, Lucero taught Canales how tomatoes should taste: intensely concentrated and vibrant with flavor. Along with the amazing variety of tomatoes, Canales also admires the Lucero strawberries, which owe their remarkable flavor to these same practices.

Challenges

Heat waves in Lodi are severe and can be tough on the crops. Soil types vary from a light sandy loam to a rich, dark, crumbly loam. Each is amended with an organic compost that contains no animal products. Fish emulsion and cover crops enrich the soil with nitrogen, a key plant nutrient. Crop rotation helps to prevent depletion of minerals in the soil.

Principles

They strive to produce good, healthy food. Both Ben and Karen love being outside and working with plants.

Length of relationship with Oliveto

12 years (prior farm in San Martin)

Locations

Several parcels of land totaling 32 acres in Lodi, in the San Joaquin Valley

Crops

Strawberries, raspberries, tomatoes (60 varieties), eggplants (8 varieties)

Secondary crops: okra, watermelon, summer squash, cucumbers

Organizations/Certification

CCOF since 2002

Distribution

Farmers’ Markets

Berkeley Derby Street – Tuesdays

Berkeley Shattuck Avenue – Thursdays

Berkeley Downtown – Saturdays

Oakland Grand Lake – Saturdays

San Francisco Ferry Building – Saturdays

Menlo Park – Sundays

Palo Alto – Sundays

Oakland Temescal – Sundays