History of the Land

The land, which was originally inhabited seasonally by the Ohlone Native Americans, was cleared and settled by the Steele Family in the early 1900's. I.C. Steele built the farm house (that now houses us) in 1906 (yes, during the big earth quake) and started an extensive apple orchard. Over the decades, the Steele family also raised flax for the war, dry beans, beef cattle and hay, among other crops. The farm house, a small barn, and two sheds are the original buildings that stand today. It is with respect and gratitude that we pay homage to all of the hard work and commitment of our predecessors.

The Farm Today

We are blessed to own a 63-acre parcel of the original Steele Ranch. This parcel is nestled against the Santa Cruz mountains, borders Green Oaks Creek, and is replete with riparian areas, rolling meadows, coastal live oaks, redwoods, hiking trails and ocean views. We are a half hour drive south of Half Moon Bay, CA and overlook Ano Nuevo State Reserve.

We cultivate three acres of organic vegetables, strawberries, herbs, and flowers. Our farm is certified organic by Global Culture. We also rotationally graze a small herd of sheep, a llama, and two draft horses on 6 acres of pasture. Mack and Margarita, our gentle Percheron horses, help us with our cultivation.

Income on the farm is generated from the sale of produce to the Palo Alto farmer’s market, the Pacifica farmer's market, a few local restaurants, a health food store in Santa Cruz, groups that stay at our retreat center, and from a subscription market program. This program, also called a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture), provides local community members with a box of fresh produce once a week throughout the growing season.

We generate most of our electricity with an array of photovoltaics and heat our domestic water with solar water panels. Future plans include converting our tractor and farm truck to run on vegetable oil and creating a living machine for processing waste water. We also want to raise meat chickens on pasture which would enable us to produce more of our own soil fertility, thereby using less fossil fuels (by eliminating the trucking in and spreading of compost).

Goal for the Farm

The multifaceted goal of the farm is to create beauty in sustainable, low-impact, ecologically friendly, simple living; to teach awareness and responsibility through example; and to create and interact with an ever expanding community of people through food production and education.

The Farmers

Paul Pfluke and Stephanie Jennings are the owners and resident farmers at Green Oaks. Before starting their farm, they worked on farms in the Santa Cruz area and in Costa Rica. They also taught environmental education for several years. One day they decided to combine their love of farming and environmental teaching and to start an organic, educational farm. To achieve this goal, they earned Masters of Science degrees in Plant and Soil Science. They have since completed course work in Holistic Resource Management and Permaculture Design. In 1999 they started Green Oaks Creek Farm & Retreat. Now they divide their time between the farm and raising their two daughters, Sienna and Anna.

Ulli Klein, the farm manager at Green Oaks, grew up in rural Austria surrounded and nourished by her father's organic vegetable garden and fruit orchard and inspired by her mother's love for flowers. After spending many hours of her childhood helping her parents tend their garden, Ulli decided she needed a brake from country life and went on to become a lawyer in an attempt to change some of the injustice that is facing our world today. After many years spent in stuffy libraries and even stuffier court rooms, Ulli started to miss the smell of freshly dug dirt and the company of her green friends. At the same time she realized that many of our environmental and social problems today are linked to our unsustainable and unjust corporate food system. Feeling a need to educate young minds about these issues and to teach them how to grow their own food, Ulli worked for 4 years as a garden educator. Last fall Ulli graduated from the Program in Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems at the University of California, Santa Cruz, and started to work for Green Oak Creeks Farm. By working for a small scale, socially responsible and environmentally conscious family farm that brings locally grown organic produce into the surrounding communities, Ulli hopes to continue to play an active part in the global struggle for a sustainable world.

Educational Programs

We offer school group visits, tours, and farm stays at Green Oaks. Please see Retreat Center for details. We also offer an 8 month educational apprenticeship program every year. See Apprenticeship Program for details.

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