The site of the former Vital Zuman organic farm is once again producing a wide variety of organic fruits, vegetables and honey, and just reopened its fresh produce stand to the public a couple of weeks ago. Now called “The Farm at Malibu,” the stand is currently featuring favorites like heirloom tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, just-picked figs and corn on the cob.
The new tenant on the property, Kerry Clasby, took over in September 2016 with the intent of operating as a farm-to-table enterprise. Known online as “The Intuitive Forager,” Clasby brings years of successful experience in organic farming and foraging. She is also co-partner on the Downtown 3rd Farmers Market in Las Vegas and leases farmland in Santa Paula.
Clasby supplies her personally grown and selected organic produce, including English peas, squash, herbs, onions, greens and even dragon fruit, to some of the biggest names in area restaurants: Soho House, Nobu, Bel-Air Hotel, Jean-Georges Beverly Hills, Waldorf Astoria-Beverly Hills, Bestia Los Angeles, Osteria Mozza and Manuela.
The former owner/tenant of the property, Alan Cunningham, whose family had owned the farm from 1954 to 2010, has known Clasby for a long time. Clasby explained he recommended her as the new tenant to owners Shelly and Donald Sterling, who had purchased the farm from Cunningham.
“Shelly has been a great partner,” Clasby added.
“Alan had the most beautiful attitude about welcoming the community on the farm,” Clasby described. “He did everything by hand. I used to buy from him and help him on the farm.”
She hopes to continue welcoming the community to the property and has set up picnic tables as a place where people can meet, eat or drink tea.
“We also hope to do concerts here, have yoga and give talks,” Clasby said. In addition, she lets other Malibu growers sell their organic produce there, including pears and avocados, for no charge.
When she first came to the farm, Clasby said her top priority was to make sure the land was well taken care of.
“We spent time on disking the fields, sculpting, drainage, tree trimming, removal of downed trees and rototilling,” she said. Currently, about three to four acres are planted in vegetables and fruit trees, but those acres are highly productive.
The Farm at Malibu is currently looking for volunteers of any age to help with planting, harvesting, boxing and selling produce at the stand.
“We have already picked hundreds of cases of tomatoes,” Clasby said, “and we’ll be planting more strawberries.”
She said volunteers will learn all about organic/biodynamic gardening techniques from master gardeners and get free produce to take home.
With the help of local farmer Jack McAndrew, who has been farming not only at this site but in Las Flores, Topanga and other places around the world for the past 50 years, the farm has moved beyond organic to being fully biodynamic. He volunteers there every Tuesday and Saturday morning.
Clasby enjoys talking about “foraging,” which really involves two different activities for her. One is that she goes to other organic growers up and down the California coast looking for the best-tasting and best-quality organic, adding it to what she grows, and supplying it to restaurants.
Her other means of foraging is going out into the wild and harvesting edible plants, and some of them grow right here in Malibu. She said there’s a demand among her restaurant clients for wild fare that includes wild celery, miner’s lettuce, watercress, purslane and lamb’s quarters.
“Purslane is one of the healthiest plants on the face of the earth,” she said. “It’s filled with essential fatty acids that vegetarians need and polyphenols that feed our mitochondria.”
Anyone interested in volunteering can contact Kerry Clasby at 818.388.1742 or email kerry@intuitiveforager.com. The farm stand will be open to the public Thursday through Sunday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 29127 Pacific Coast Highway, near the intersection at Heathercliff Road.
