The Dirt on Joe Rubin

. . . is usually under his fingernails. He's not complaining. Joe's life as an organic farmer is good one. For four years, he's worked with Tom and Constance Broz on their family farm in Corralitos. Live Earth Farm is a 30-acre organic farm that grows a multitude of crops year round. (NOTE: this piece was written last spring when I interviewed Joe up at Live Earth Farm. The photo was taken in July, 2004: the baby goat is Luna, who adopted Joe when her mother abandoned her. Read on to the end for an update on Live Earth Farm in April, 2005.)

Nearly a dozen kinds of fruit, root crops, greens, herbs, beans, squashes, tomatoes and more are produced in two sunny Corralitos locations. Fruit trees and berries thrive on the hillside farm, while the lower farm is more hospitable to root crops and greens.

Seventy-five percent (75%) of the farm's harvest goes to its Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) customers, 36 weeks a year (mid-March through Thanksgiving). Live Earth Farm also provides produce to local chefs, and is a vendor at the downtown Santa Cruz farmers' market.

The father of an eight-year-old daughter, Sierra, Joe is a long-time environmentalist. Before his green thumb provided a career in organic farming, he taught preschool. Farming gives Joe the opportunity to "heal and be healed by the earth, as well as a way to share the wonders and ounty of the earth with my community."

He's also an avid cook with ideas for preparing every crop that the farm grows. Joe brims over with excitement when discussing what he'll be delivering to many of the region's restaurants, legendary for their support of organic farmers.

Live Earth Farm is well-known in the area for bringing people together for community events. In 2001, they built a wood-fired bread oven, and fresh baked breads and pizzas are featured at every gathering. Celebratory in nature, all the farm events include live music, drumming, guitars, flutes, and whatever anyone would like to bring. Children are encouraged to go into the fields and harvest the ripe treasures they find.

Live Earth Farm's website contains a wealth of information about organic farming, information about CSA membership, a list of crops, weekly newsletter (you can subscribe), education and outreach, a searchable recipe database, and more. Best of all at conveying the essence of the farm is the gallery. There, in brilliant color, are dozens of photographs chronicling the festivals and fiestas that typify the spirit of Live Earth Farm.

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APRIL 2005 UPDATE: Little Logan and I visited Live Earth Farm on Tuesday. The peach and plum trees were in flower, as well as the raspberry and blackberry bushes. It's such a beautiful farm: overlooking the Santa Cruz mountains and the city of Watsonville.

Thom and Joe had just finished packing all the boxes for their CSA membership, which they are happy to report is at an all-time high. Joe had just installed a solar-powered electric fence to keep the goats in, and we visited the herd. Every last goat, even little Luna, was heavily pregnant. Luna, Joe told me, had been the victim of a "fencing accident," which presumably didn't include an épée; she was really a little too young to breed.

The goats amazed me. In less than a day, they'd cleared the cover crops (waist-high) down to nubs inside the movable fence.

Joe also showed me the flock of baby chicks they've acquired. They will raise them and sell them at the farmers markets: that's the plan.

Finally, he showed me the new cooler, filled to the brim with boxes packed for the CSA members, as well as their new delivery truck, which is still being painted with the Live Earth Farm logo. I am so glad to see them prospering.

You can see the photos of our visit here.