The Silo, which serves as our home, once held hops at Falstaff Brewery Plant No. 6 in San Jose. Falstaff purchased the San Jose Plant from Pacific Brewing and Malting in 1952. This plant closed in 1973. The building was torn down in 1980, at which point the silo was disassembled and moved to its current location. Read more about its history here. 

Nancy is business manager and co-founder of AHMF. She holds a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology and Behavioral Medicine from the University of Maryland and is a licensed psychologist in California. She migrated to the SF Bay area in 2001 to complete a clinical and research fellowship at UCSF. She obtained a faculty position at UCSF and met Daniel while teaching at UC Berkeley Extension. Nancy knew she was ready for a break from academic life when she and Daniel moved to the Santa Cruz mountains. With her background in psychology, she brings knowledge of community systems and an ecological perspective to farming.  Her contributions include propagating seeds, transplanting seedlings, harvesting vegetables, and overseeing legal, financial, and marketing components. Nancy grew up helping her Dad tend a backyard garden. She has always been interested in vegetarianism, cooking, nutrition, and growing her own food. Nancy has practiced Siddha Yoga and meditation for over 15 years. She plans to use AHMF to educate youth about the importance of a healthy lifestyle.

Estelle is AHMF’s Quality Control Specialist. If it’s not good enough for her, we won’t sell it. Here she inspects our Black Manuka Table Grapes for sweetness. She is also a fan of fresh Scarlet Runner Beans, Yellow Bartlett Pears, and cherry tomatoes. Additionally, she is known to put down amazingly large quantities of raw broccoli and enjoys broiled potatoes with onions. Many of Estelle’s favorite recipes can be found here.

The Ducks came from Metzer Farms and were only three weeks old in this photo. They are all laying hens of different breeds: (L>R) Blue Swedish, Cayuga (hidden), Buff Orpington, Khaki Campbell, and Black Swedish. Follow the growth of both the ducks and dog at our blog. Follow our egg tally here.

The Cat Family, Opal (far right) & her late brother Jasper, came to us as kittens from Tennyson High School Farm, Hayward, California in June 2009. Soon after his first birthday, Jasper fell victim to a coyote. Three days later, his sister birthed three beautiful kittens of her own, Luna, Casper & Chloe (L>R). The cats  roam the farm as a family: hunting, playing and sleeping.

The Koi and our Red Eared Slider Turtle are integral to our farm. We employ a bio-reactor filter to process their waste and use the remains to fertilize our plants and trees. Much to Estelle’s delight, we recently discovered baby koi in the pond for the second time in the past three years. When they grow larger, we will decide which to keep and which to give away.

Daniel is farm manager and co-founder of Abounding Harvest Mountain Farm (AHMF). After graduating with an Sc.B. in Geology/Biology from Brown University, he spent three years working at Four Season Farm, Harborside, Maine for Eliot Coleman and Barbara Damrosch. He moved on to get certified as an instructor in Kundalini Yoga, which he has practiced since 1998. He then worked for the Yogi Tea Company and lived in Española, New Mexico in a yogic community. Daniel’s westward progression led him next to UC Berkeley, to become a certified CAADAC Substance Abuse Counselor. There he met Nancy and gained employment at UCSF doing counseling and research. Many clients later, Daniel was ready to get back to the soil. Accompanying his engagement to Nancy, he moved to Santa Cruz, California and went through the Apprenticeship in Ecological Horticulture at UCSC’s Center for Agroecology & Sustainable Food Systems (CASFS). He is now President of their Friends’ Board of Directors. In 2006, Daniel and Nancy acquired a former pear orchard in the Santa Cruz mountains with the intention of starting a farm. Daniel and Nancy were married on their land, and their orchards followed. Daniel has dedicated himself full-time to starting AHMF. In his free time he manages the forest, combatting invasive species, erosion, and sudden oak death. He also makes steel sculptures to incorporate into the landscape.

Sebastian is the newest addition to our team! He is quite possibly the happiest person we’ve ever met.  The child simply laughs and smiles constantly. He’s already a big fan of lentils and rice and is growing like a well-watered artichoke! We are grateful for and blessed by his presence.