WATSONVILLE — Gone are the days when most people grew their own food, or at least knew the farmers who grew it.
The ease with which nearly everyone now gets their produce, meat and other food items has created a chasm between producer and consumer, with the agricultural community on one side and an increasingly urbanized public on the other.
The result is generations of young people with little concept of where their food comes from.
The organizers of the Open Farm Tours aim to change that.
During the event Sunday, 10 family farms open their doors to the public to give them a glimpse of a world normally closed to the public.
“We want to help people who buy food and eat it get more connected to the farms where their food is grown,” said Open Farm Tours volunteer coordinator Ellen Farmer.
The tour includes the Marketplace, located at Alladin Nursery at 2905 Freedom Blvd. There, participants can get a lunch featuring local foods and drinks provided by local vendors such as Corralitos Sausage, My Mom’s Mole, and wood oven pizza from Fired Up Fresh.
“It’s a great way to get people to the farm, and to see where their food comes from,” said Nick Prevedelli of Prevedelli Farms, which is one of the tour stops. “And it’s a great way to spend a Sunday.”
Prevedelli grows nearly 40 types of apples and other produce including beans, squash and berries, and have been using organic farming methods for nearly a decade.
The one-day self-guided tour is also a way to encourage people to shop locally and, more importantly, emphasize the importance of supporting local growers.
“We want to help people make the right choices about something that is so important to everyone, which is eating,” said Live Earth Farm director Jessica Ridgeway.
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The fourth annual Open Farms Tours is free and open to the public. It is on Sunday from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m.
For information, email
in**@op***********.com
, or visit www.openfarmtours.com.
