Preserving Heirloom Crops

Small family farms, like Cloverfield Organic Farm, serve several critical needs in their local communities. One thing we do at Cloverfield Organic Farm is preserve rare heirloom crops that are at risk of disappearing.

The Slow Food Foundation for Biodiversity recognizes the urgent need to support small farms that grow endangered rare crops, and they maintain a list of traditional heirloom crops that serve important cultural and dietary niches. Their list is called Ark of Taste and it is continually being updated. The crops listed on the Ark of Taste all have rich histories and unique flavors unmatched in modern industrially-grown crops.

At Cloverfield Organic Farm, we a grow number of the endangered fruits listed on the Ark of Taste, including:

• Spitzenberg Apple

• Gravenstein Apple

• Arkansas Black Apple

• Blenheim Apricot

• Rio Oso Gem Peach

• Inca Plum

• Mariposa Plum

• Elephant Heart Plum

• Laroda Plum.

These aren't all of the fruits that we grow, and some of our other fruits are likely candidates to be added to the Ark of Taste in the future. We also have wild native cherry plums, in multiple colors.

Cloverfield Organic Farm is a model farm for promoting biodiversity and regenerative agriculture. We are certified organic by both OCIA and the Real Organic Project. We grow all of our crops in native organically-amended soil and under the sun. We don't need to use any pesticides, herbicides, or fungicides. We protect our crops by having healthy soil that is rich in microbes and other diverse soil life, and by having many flowers in bloom that draw in pest predators and pollinators.

We welcome visitors to the farm to experience all that we are doing. When you come visit you can u-pick fresh organic fruits, flowers, vegetables, and herbs all year-round. We also produce raw unfiltered honey.

If you wish to come volunteer, our next volunteer day is on August 21, 2025.

Cloverfield Organic Farm is located at 501 La Paloma Rd., El Sobrante, CA, 94803. Open hours, without an appointment, are Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, from noon to five during Daylight Savings Time and from eleven to four during the shorter days of the year. We have free parking and accept most forms of payment, including cash, cards, Venmo, and EBT.