The first significant rainfall for the Fall of 2010 wasn't enough to hamper the spirit of our tour…read moregroup as Shelly McMahon and her family (husband Connie and son Nick) welcomed us onto her 10 acre family farm in Brentwood. Shelly is in the business of raising hens for egg production. In fact, she estimates the total number of hens to be in the range of 1200. Her hens which are a variety of different breeds run around freely on an open pasture fenced off only to keep predators out. In addition to the natural grasses in the pasture the hens are fed with a custom blended mix of corn, oats, wheat and alfalfa. Although the farm does not have its organic certification yet, (It's in the works.) no pesticides are used on Shelly's Farm and no antibiotics are fed to her flock of laying hens. The hens are moved around on the farm to make sure there is always a supply of natural grass to feed on. Common to many egg farms chickens or hens often have their upper beaks clipped to minimize cannibalism among birds. The inhumane practice (that only being my opinion) of beak cutting is never practiced on this farm. Instead the hens here are carefully monitored and any problem birds are simply caught and segregated from the remainder of the flock. We arrived just as the rain began to come down heavily and just like many people do the hens took off running for cover. There is an enclosed structure where they can run in and out of to roost. I noticed many of the hens sat down and wiggled in the dirt. Some even rolled around. After witnessing that somewhat strange behavior and being completely puzzled it was explained to me that the hens bathe themselves by rolling in the dirt. How fun! As we walked further into the farm we were introduced to three mules raised on the farm, and as Shelly introduced each one of the mules by name they seemed to understand her and stood side by side providing the perfect photo op. Next, we were introduced to the hatchery where younger hens and baby hens are kept in order to mature. Be careful where you step because the curious young hens just might be at your feet checking out the latest footwear. Shelly picked up a baby hen and placed it gently in our hands to pass around. Seems the baby hens like to be gently stroked just underneath its beak. So comfortable this one I held made a whispering purr sound. I didn't take a photo of it fearing that my camera's flash would startle it. Once out of the hatchery we received a personal demonstration from Connie and Nick covering the final stages of farm fresh egg production. Nick explained to us that eggs are usually gathered at 6:00 AM each morning. Many of the hens are just waking up and are most docile at that time. Once the eggs are gathered they go through an automated process of cleansing. Each egg is individually loaded on a conveyor belt that takes the eggs into a chamber which houses a pair of soft whirling brushes. As the brushes gently scrub the outer shell a jet of cold water washes each egg then air dries it before setting it out onto a roller on the opposite end where the eggs are inspected and boxed. The process seemed very much like a car wash. Most of the eggs fall into the size of medium-large and most of the shells are brown in color depending on the breed of the hen. Occasionally Shelly will find an egg with a blue-green shell. She includes those in the packing process as the outside shell color does not effect the inside of the egg. Odd shaped eggs and super-sized double yolk eggs are not included in the packing but are sorted out. Shelly's pasture-raised eggs are sold to local markets and Whole Foods. She also sells her fresh eggs at the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market in San Francisco on Tuesday and Thursdays, the Castro Farmers Market in San Francisco on Wednesdays, and the Brentwood and Danville Farmers Markets on Saturdays. The fresh eggs are sold for $6 per dozen and generally can be kept refrigerated for 1 to 2 months. In addition to the eggs Shelly grows a wide assortment of fresh culinary herbs, several varieties of hot peppers and tomatoes on her farm. She generously allowed members of our group to take home as many of the different fresh herbs as we could use along with some freshly picked jalapeno and New Mex peppers. Most of our group took home big bouquets of assorted herbs. She also sold us some fresh eggs picked on the same day at a substantial discount. I couldn't turn my back on that deal so I bought two dozen. The eggs have a darker red yolk and should not be hard-boiled for the egg whites will stick to the shell due to its freshness. Nothing to do on a rainy day you say? Don't tell that to Shelly's hens. Thanks to the McMahon Family for taking the time to host our group.

The best, fresh eggs ever! Thanks, Shelly and crew for providing a superb local product.read more

Cant believe we forgot to return here first this time around. Running price for peaches is around…read more$4 but rancho zaragoza has $2.50! We didn't find too many white peaches but they had a few white nectarines which i prefer. And tons of yellow cling peaches! These are the kind i associate with canned peaches and they were so smooth and sweet. Gotta return for the striped figs in August. This place is such a cute farm. Got a handful of animals to look at (although i feel bad for the bigger birds. They didn't look too happy). Very fun to walk around.

Went to Brentwood with my daughter and my parents to pick mulberries- decided to also pick some…read morepeaches. We were very pleasantly surprised by Rancho Zaragoza. They have many different fruits- yellow and white peaches, apricots and pluots. The peaches and apricots are so sweet! Peaches very juicy! The pluots needed some more time. The owner was super nice. Definitely want to go back!

Brentwood is a bit of a drive, probably best known for their corn. And some nice homes. Not…read moreknowing their farm or business location, I only knew that their stand is right by the doors of Boulette Larder in the back lot of the Ferry Building at the Saturday Ferry farmers market. They usually have the most varieties and generally largest figs at the market. As of 9/11/21, the season just started and there are now about three or four other growers with stands here now. Just a week later, all of these growers were not longer at the market. Don't know whether there was some weather calamity or other growing issues to shorten the season to must a couple weeks. They have not been at the market since 9/11/21. Guess we'll have to wait till next fig season.

We have had the good fortune to be consumers of Knoll Organic (KO) Farm products since 1992. We…read morehave witnessed many changes to the farm and to the organic world. We will tell you that the most outstanding offering from KO Farm is integrity. Their growing practices go beyond the organic threshold. Rick and Kristie, Eduardo, and staff are real believers in producing the best products in the spirit and letter of Biodynamic growing practices. You can taste the quality and know your food was grown using sustainable practices. A Yelp review may not be the place to recount the history of KO Farm. Visit their newly updated web site [www.KnollOrganics.com] for that. Shop at their stand Fri-Sun 8-3:00. mt November 2020

Picked up some strawberries & fresh baked bread. Both were amazing and delicious. The guy working…read moreat the front was nice and friendly and helped me pick my strawberries. It was a nice experience and I plan on coming back for my next strawberry fill up!

It was supposed to be a u-pick . And it was closed. They had a good amount to purchase . My main…read morething was they let the these three old asian ladies stand at the register and block it while the others shopped and kept bringing stuff up ! No ! Go shop then get in line ! Ugh

We had a wonderful time here. I would most definitely return with family. My kids lived the place.read more

Went again this year. McKinney still got the best peaches in town, never disappoints!! They don't…read moretake CC though, gotta remember to stop by ATM next time.

I have to tell you, I am a big fan of Kaiser. As a family we frequent the lab and X-Ray at Delta…read moreSquare. Seldom have long waits. Security is helpful and friendly. My doc out at Sand Creek is really caring and professional. I hate parking but it is what it is. And ER can be packed. As an RN, I get it. I can't imagine anywhere else being any better.

Probably one of the fastest quickest pharmacy lines I've ever been in line of. Even though the line…read morelooked really long out the door I wasn't in line for probably longer than 5 to 10 minutes. I didn't catch that guys name who is helping me but was very friendly efficient and quick and it seemed like everyone who is working was in a good mood. Very nice place to pick up medication.

This is a good spot with friendly college student staff who greeted us and explained the u pick…read more June had peaches and plums to pick right off the tree, good experience! Given buckets with bags in them to pack it up easily in the end. Came as a family of four adults and ended up with $80 of fruits (about 2.5 buckets full). It adds up A lot of choice for ready to go fruits if you don't want to pick yourself. Honey too, candles, lots of stuff Some picnic tables on the grass Pretty barn, decorated

What a great orchard and produce stand! Places like this remind me of why I love living in this…read morearea. I took my two toddlers here for their first fruit picking excursion and boy, was it memorable. Farmers daughter provides buckets for free and doesn't charge an entrance fee unlike another local popular farm. The day we went they had peaches, plums and apricots for picking and the apricots tasted like jam - so sweet and perfect for the kiddos to hold (and devour). Their produce stand was also filled with a wide range of prepicked fruit and veggies. Service was beyond kind and I loved that they had tables and lots of open space for kids to frolick. This was like a 2 hour adventure for us and the kids can't stop talking about it. We can't wait to return!

Love this farm! It has such a peaceful, family-farm vibe...a total breath of fresh air compared to…read morethe more chaotic, commercial U-pick spots. Parking is easy, and the staff are wonderful and helpful with recommendations. It's rare to find a truly organic farm in this area, and the quality and freshness of their fruit and produce really stand out. The general store up front is amazing...they have specialty breads, nuts, and unique jams made from their own fruit that are to die for. Definitely keep an eye out for unique finds like their frozen mulberries and white peach or nectarine jams. We loved the specialty products so much that we actually went back two days later to stock up on gifts. We came for U-pick peaches and nectarines. The tree-ripened fruit was incredibly sweet and juicy with a floral aroma. We went with kids and grandparents, and everyone had an amazing time. The apricots looked amazing too...can't wait to come back once they're ripe!

(3.5 stars, rounded up to 4)…read more The Urban Edge Farm is well-known for their peach and apricots during the summer time. But who said U-Pick season has to end after the summer? During the fall, they offer other U-Pick fruits, such as pomegranates, persimmons, and kumquats. Last weekend, we decided to try out their persimmon U-Pick. I initially found out about when their persimmon U-Pick would be available through an Instagram comment (there weren't any lnstagram posts or events on their website directly advertising this year's persimmon season), but I also double-checked by calling them the morning of before making the trek to Brentwood. The front of the farm area is a little store front, where you can buy fresh produce that's been harvested directly from the farm. This is also where you weigh your fruits after picking them. After completing the liability form via QR code, they drive you and your guests on a jeep to the fruit trees (and back). During the short drive to the persimmon trees, we also spotted baby cherry trees, a couple of pomegranate trees, and what appeared to be a grapefruit tree. As for the persimmons, there were about 5 Fuyu trees and 2 Hachiya trees. There were plenty of Fuyus available for us to pick. On the other hand, the Hachiya trees were quite bare so we only ended up finding and picking one that was ripe enough. At $4/lb for both varieties of persimmons, we ended up paying around ~$17 for 12 persimmons. The persimmons that were ripe enough to eat were nice and sweet. Getting the U-Pick experience without the summer heat and with reasonable prices was great. The only downside to this experience was the abundance of ants on the trees. The ants got on my hands, clothes, and even my face and the top of my head. The ants didn't appear to affect the quality of the fruit, since they were mainly on the branches and the tops of the persimmon leaves. I wasn't afraid of getting ants on me, but it was starting to get bothersome having to swat the ants away from my body and the persimmons I picked. I thought I had gotten rid of all the ants before leaving and getting into my car, but throughout the ride home, I spotted some straggler ants on my lap and arms, and even on the windshield! So take that into consideration if you're not particularly fond of ants.