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Not so foreign, but I'd never seen a quince in person before.

Field Trip: Little Farm in Encino, CA

We’re about to take you on a journey to a magical place; a place where tropical and rare fruits grow in abundance, where grapevines climb arbors, where goats, chickens, rabbits and birds live in comfort, all in the middle of a housing tract in Encino, CA. Clive Segil, the owner of this parcel just under 2 acres, calls it Little Farm, but there’s nothing little about it.

A group of Our Time Bank friends and I ventured out to Encino on a hot summer day last week, eager to glimpse a peek at this Rare Fruit Grower’s land. As you’ll see with the following photo essay (probably using more photos than I have in any other blog post) the riches that lie behind Little Farm’s gates are worth enduring sweltering temperatures.

On a hillside in Encino Little Farm grows over 350 trees, & raises chickens, turkeys, quail, rabbits, goats and more.
On a hillside in Encino. Little Farm grows over 350 trees & raises chickens, turkeys, quail, rabbits, goats and more.

We were greeted by Clive, whose South African accent charmed us instantly, and he guided us past a waterfall and koi pond. He pointed out a pump running from the pond to a small aquaponics trough where he raises the spawn and uses the trough to grow lettuces at the same time.

We wandered down a path between fruit trees: citrus, papayas, mangos–all doing well in Southern California–and stopped at a row of walk-in cages that housed the livestock. Oh, what fun.

The turkeys looks annoyed to see us, but we were thrilled to see them.
The turkeys looks annoyed to see us, but we were thrilled to see them.
Goats - they're all personality. Take note of the miniature chickens (and rooster) in the foreground. They're full size!
Alpine goats – they’re all personality. Take note of the miniature chickens (and rooster) in the foreground. They’re full size!

We were informed that these were indeed miniature chickens, not Bantums. One look at that tiny rooster and I wanted to take him home. But then we went to the next cage:

Goat on a hot tin roof
Goat on a hot tin roof

The cuteness factor was climbing. We hand-fed acorns to the goats.

Rabbit droppings make excellent fertilizer.
Rabbit droppings make excellent fertilizer.
The aviary housed these gorgeous birds. They chirped sweetly as we looked in on them.
The aviary housed these gorgeous birds. They chirped sweetly as we looked in on them.

Next stop: the milking barn, or chalet, I should say.

Goats step up onto the metal frame for milking. The outdoor kitchen stores supplies and allows for cleanup.
Goats step up onto the metal frame for milking. The outdoor kitchen stores supplies and allows for cleanup.
Rats, another sign to steal...
Rats, another sign to steal…

“Does anyone want to try a glass of goat milk?” Clive asked. I said sure, but braced myself for a warm glass, thinking he was going to milk a goat right in front of us. Instead he opened a refrigerator on the other side of the milking barn and poured a fresh glass. It was delicious. Surprisingly un-goaty. It made the idea of having a goat more appealing. Sorry, neighbors.

They get about 2 gallons per day, so they make cheese, too.
They get about 2 gallons per day, so they make cheese, too.

Onward we walked up the terraced hillside to the beehives:

Little Farm has 10 beehives. The honey extractor is stored in the milking barn.
Little Farm has more than a few beehives. The honey extractor is stored in the milking barn. So jealous!

As we came back down the hill, we encountered fruit from far-off places.

Have you ever had a Wax Jambu?
Have you ever had a Wax Jambu?
How about a Kei Apple?
How about a Kei Apple?

The Kei Apple captivated us all. Clive told us to pick a few and eat them whole (just watch for thorns, they’re 3″ long). I’ve never tasted anything like it: apricot and floral flavors mystified us.

Inside a Kei Apple
Inside a Kei Apple – eat the seeds, they’re chewy.
Jane Austen fans will appreciate that Clive has Medlars growing in Encino.
Jane Austen fans will appreciate that Clive has Medlars growing in Encino.
Ertog Kosher from seed. So if you celebrate Sukkot, you're covered.
Ertog Kosher from seed (a type of citron). So if you celebrate Sukkot, you’re covered.
Not so foreign, but I'd never seen a quince in person before.
Not so foreign, but I’d never seen a quince in person before.
A Jujube tree was loaded with fruit.
A Jujube tree was loaded with fruit.

We passed a small vegetable bed full of tomato plants and a few corn stalks left over from a recent harvest. Clive has one full-time helper to keep up the garden and take care of the animals between them. They do it with jaw-dropping efficiency.

But wait, there’s more! We encountered date palm trees (which are relatively new and may or may not fruit), bananas, and tilapia (in a tank, of course). Clive took us down to his grape vineyard, which was reminiscent of Tuscany:

Vines and fruit trees create a lush canopy
Vines and fruit trees create a lush canopy
Clive plants roses at the end of each row of grapes. Roses let farmers know in advance when powdery mildew has arrived.
Clive plants roses at the end of each row of grapes. Roses let farmers know in advance when powdery mildew has arrived.

Did you know that allspice is made from the berries of an allspice tree, not a blend of spices? This is what a crushed leaf from the Allspice tree looks like:

Allspice - crush a leaf and smell cinnamon, cloves, pumpkin pie!
Allspice – crush a leaf and smell cinnamon, cloves, pumpkin pie!

Some other things we saw:

Clive is apparently growing the world's biggest mango
Clive is apparently growing the world’s biggest mango
Papayas in Los Angeles? Yes!
Papayas in Los Angeles? Yes!
Dragon fruit is so expensive. Clive is growing some around a palm tree. He says it has to be hand pollinated.
Dragon fruit is so expensive. Clive is growing some around a palm tree. He says it has to be hand pollinated.

One nifty trick we learned: Clive’s assistant, Max, found a way to solve the fly problem in the yard. He simply hung large plastic bags of water all over the place. Apparently the water reflects light in a way that confuses flies with those compound eyes. It worked like a charm.

Bag of water = fly repellent
Bag of water = fly repellent

Finally, at the end of our tour, Clive showed us what I consider to be the most impressive part of the farm: a 5,000 gallon graywater system.

2 2,500 gallon tanks are nestled into the base of the hillside.
2 2,500 gallon tanks are nestled into the base of the hillside.

Clive installed a drain catchment system that funnels runoff from the neighbor’s excessive water usage that runs down the street to these tanks. He also collects rainwater from the driveway through cutouts. A pool pump forces the water up through the drip irrigation system (they open the valves manually when needed) for many of the trees on the property. To combat mosquitoes, he added mosquito fish to the tanks. Problem solved. Even in this drought (no rain for months) these tanks are both full.

The view from Little Farm's terraces.
The view from Little Farm’s terraces.

It’s hard to imagine all that fits within the gates of Little Farm. Sure, we’d all like to have more land, but this field trip was inspiring; motivation to make use of the space we have, no matter the size.

To read more about Clive’s adventures with Little Farm, read this article from Tribe Magazine.

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