In this slow-paced rural region, artisan communities are both connected to each other and to nature, working against a backdrop of olive groves, cool valleys and a coastline shrouded in early morning mist.
Released December 2, 2022 at 08:00 GMT
It may be halfway between Los Angeles and San Francisco, but San Luis Obispo County is a world away from the hustle and bustle of the city. “Maybe it’s the slower pace of life, but people here haven’t lost their connection to the land. Everyone I know is looking for food,” muses Spencer Marley, founder of Marley Family Seaweeds, which runs foraging tours. Spencer has spent nearly two decades making a living off the San Luis Obispo coast, first as a foreman at the Morro Bay Oyster Company, then as a commercial wild salmon fisherman.
Spencer’s recent marine operation is focused on sourcing the finest edible seaweed. In the early morning tide pools of Estero Bluffs State Park, he feasts on seaweed most of us wouldn’t look twice at – fucus, sea lettuce, wakame, nori (pictured) and kombu – and harvests the fronds with meticulous care. He believes seaweed should play a bigger role in the pursuit of more sustainable living, and his fun, immersive tours aim to serve that cause.
A short drive inland from the coast, up a narrow country lane in Cambria’s oak-studded hills, is a ranch with no Wi-Fi or phone signal — but goats aplenty. This is the home of Jack and Michelle Rudolph, owners of Stepladder Ranch & Creamery. Set on three acres of oak woodland and open pastures, this cheese factory takes care of every step of the cheese-making process in-house, from milking to production and aging.
Jack and Michelle left Silicon Valley in 2012 to pursue their passion. They took over Jack’s grandfather’s existing avocado ranch, added a goat dairy and taught themselves the basics of dairy farming online. Michelle says that thanks to her herd of 40 Lamancha goats — the only American-developed breed of goat known for its loving nature — even tough work days don’t seem so bad now.
Today, Stepladder Ranch & Creamery makes small batches of multi-award-winning artisan cheeses, including Rocky Butte, a six-month-aged seasonal goat’s cheese made with milk from their herd. Open for tours several times a year, the dairy also offers guided virtual tastings and posts goat updates on its YouTube channel.
Early in the morning, before the fog clears along the coast, Morro Bay Oyster Company owner Neal Maloney takes his motorboat to Morro Bay, a sprawling lagoon and saltwater marsh just outside of downtown San Luis Obispo. A tiny platform serves as the center of Pacific Gold’s oyster farming. Each Morro Bay Oyster Company oyster is hand-picked, inspected and sorted, with the smaller specimens returned to the water.
The prized mussels thrive in the bay’s cold waters, which are rich in nutrients from the Pacific Ocean and freshwater streams from nearby volcanic aquifers. They are earthy and sweet, with flavors of both the sea and the volcanic sand that are equally part of their habitat.
The Morro Bay Oyster Company supplies local restaurants and wineries such as Sinor-LaVallee. Perched on a hilly slope just a few kilometers from the sea, this coastal biodynamic vineyard grows grapes including pinot noir, syrah, albariño and more.
In a secluded valley half an hour south of breezy Morro Bay, oaks and manzanita trees thrive alongside Tuscan olives. With hot, dry summers and mild, cool winters, San Luis Obispo offers the perfect growing conditions. Tiber Canyon Ranch is one of Central California’s premier artisanal olive growers. Chris Anderson and Will Carlton first came to the ranch in 1993 to open a glassblowing studio and over the years have planted Leccino, Frantoio, Pendolino and Coratina olives across the property’s 50 acres. During harvest, friends and family gather at the ranch to hand-pick the fruit and send it to a nearby mill for pressing. In addition to extra virgin olive oil, Tiber Canyon Ranch also produces oils flavored with yuzu, lemon, and tangerine.
The 576 foot Morro Rock is a local landmark and part of the Nine Sisters. A dramatic backdrop to San Luis Obispo County, this chain of volcanic mountains stretches from Morro Bay to the city of San Luis Obispo. The mineral-rich soil of the peaks explains in part why so many vineyards, ranches, and farms dot the region’s hills. Microclimate also plays a role: cold Alaskan currents keep the air fresh along the coast, while inland volcanoes block breezes and keep areas behind the peaks hot and dry. It is this climatic diversity that explains why such a variety of farming ventures can thrive in such a small area.
Unfortunately, most visitors only stop briefly in San Luis Obispo when driving along Highway 1, which skirts the coast between Los Angeles and San Francisco. But venture a little deeper into the local communities to discover another California, one of artisans deeply connected to a remarkable landscape.
Published in January/February 2023 problem of National Geographic Traveler (UK)
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