A Day in the Life of an Upper Ojai Mountain Farmer
Nestled under the Topatopa Mountains of Upper Ojai, Free Range Interior Design got to spend the day adventuring with farmer, Briana Campos, on her 65-acre mountain property. We toured her stunning garden, orchards, greenhouse, and chicken coop, discussing the variety of crops she’s cultivating this season and the sustainable practices she lives by—all while enjoying delicious fruits and veggies straight from the vine. As the sun started to set, we savored beautiful harvest salads (all sourced from the farm) and drank a delicious *bottle* of wine while talking about life, farming, and cooking. From early morning harvests to sunset nature walks, the following interview offers a deep dive into the rhythms of Briana’s life as a dedicated farmer, nature lover, and slow living enthusiast, providing a glimpse into the heart of rural life.
ABOUT BRIANA
What brought you to farming? “I grew up in Davis which is a very prominent farming community which taught me from a very young age what a gift it is to have access to fruits and vegetables grown locally, organically, and for flavor. I wanted to be a part of the movement of small-farm workers who are passionate about connecting to their little pocket of land, the people who eat their food, and the importance of where it comes from.”
What is your favorite part about farming? “Aside from taking part in the nourishment of my community, I love the little interactions that I get to have on a daily basis with everything that lives in the ecosystem we farm in. Small things like a hummingbird landing on your hat or discovering a nest of baby squirrels in a bed make you feel so connected and tapped in to the land.”
What is your favorite part about living on the land you’re farming? “There is truly nothing that beats walking down to the garden in the morning, tea in hand, to collect eggs and harvest breakfast. Being one step away from your food source is something I will never take for granted!”
Favorite time of day on the property? “Early mornings when everything is so quiet you can hear the birds flying overhead.”
Favorite time of year on the property? “Spring is so special when everything is starting to come out of its dormancy, especially once the stone fruit trees start to bloom. But winters bring the most spectacular sunrises, those colors are unparalleled”
What’s a typical day look like for you? “I usually wake up around 5:30am with a 6:30am start time, and we end each day around 3pm. In the afternoons I am usually going for walks around the property, reading in the hammock, or preserving/pickling/freezing/canning/crafting/cooking with whatever is in season.”
I love that you get to work outside, in the sun, getting your hands dirty…Do you feel that it adds to your quality of life? “I always joke that I have the healthiest gut microbiome because I spend all my time with my hands in the dirt, but it's true! I am rarely sick and I can almost entirely attribute that to working outside in the soil, being in the sunshine, and keeping moving all day. Being able to revert back to my childhood self playing in the dirt on a daily basis rejuvenates me every day.”
ABOUT THE FARM
How many acres is this property? What is each acre used for? “65 acres, but we farm about 3. We like to keep the rest of the property as native habitat to preserve the natural ecosystem. Amongst the 3 acres of farmland, we have a market-style garden where we grow all of our vegetables and most of our berries, then we have 5 separate orchards. One that's a mixed fruit orchard that has mostly stone fruit, apples, some avocados, which was our first orchard. Then as we started to hone in on varieties we liked we expanded into 4 more orchards. Three mixed citrus orchards with lemons, limes, mandarins, kumquats, etc. Lastly, our newest orchard we just planted out with various figs, and more apples and avocados.”
What kinds of farming practices do you use? “We pull from both regenerative and permaculture practices on the farm. In our main orchard we have swales to capture and slow water, companion plants to attract pollinators, and apply our own fertilization to the trees made from our vermicompost and food scrap pile, closing the loop on our waste and fertility practices. In the garden, we practice crop rotation, plant a wide assortment of crops to promote diversity, and again practice soil-focused fertility from our own waste systems.”
What animals are on the farm? “We currently have 20 chickens and 2 farm dogs up here with us, but also cohabitate with plenty of deer, bobcats, coyotes, squirrels, foxes, and the occasional bear and mountain lion.”
What are you currently growing? “Right now we are rounding out our summer crops. Our tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, strawberries, okra, beans, melons, peppers, raspberries, brussel sprouts, fennel, kohlrabi, and of course our flowers are still going strong, but we are about to transition to our winter crops, getting our greens, alliums, and brassicas in the ground soon”
What is your favorite crop growing right now? “Hmmm we just harvested all of our multicolored popping corn and that was a really fun and beautiful process, but as far as what's still in the ground, okra takes the cake. Such a fun vegetable to experiment with!”
What’s working and what’s not working this year? “We tried to get away with some late season peas this summer, but it was too hot for them and they didn't make it. We were successful with our dry bean experiment though which was exciting, they turned out so beautiful and we were really happy with our yield!”
ADVICE & COOKING
What’s your favorite crop to cook this time of year? “I've been loving the summer classics. Tomatoes, eggplant, and zucchini have been my staples this season.”
Any favorite cookbooks? “I've been really loving Ruffage by Abra Berens. She is a farmer turned chef and gives so many different variations of things to do with vegetables. First cookbook I've ever read cover to cover, her little anecdotes about each vegetable are so relatable.”
Any favorite cook books? “Out of the same cookbook, her smoky eggplant puree pasta is insane.”
Any advice for someone just starting out with their own backyard garden? “I'd say to focus on building the soil first and foremost, then just have fun experimenting! Branch out and find the varietals that will inspire you to cook. Share your produce with friends and family. Gardening is best when done as a community!”
With Love, Annie