At Soil Born Farms, your new morning obsession is the CA GROWN specials at Phoebe’s Café – a Saturday morning farm-to-fork eatery.  

Sacramento is proud to be America’s Farm-to-Fork Capital, but at Soil Born Farms, the mission of being an urban agriculture and education project extends far beyond simply serving farm-fresh fare, dedicating time and resources to helping people understand the connection between food, health and the environment. 

One of the most delicious ways to connect with local agriculture is to taste organic produce – grown on-site and sourced from local California farms – which goes into seasonal dishes. The CA GROWN specials at the Saturday morning sensation, Phoebe’s Café, introduce guests to new fruits, vegetables and flavors while encouraging them to support local growers and eat with the seasons. 

What is Soil Born Farms

Located on the American River Ranch in Rancho Cordova, Soil Born Farms is a CCOF-certified farm that definitely wears more than one hat. They are an urban farm, growing about 30 different types of produce sold in their produce stand and used in the cafe – an agriculture education project for their Teen Empowerment Program. On Saturday mornings, Soil Born offers opportunities for the public to not only taste farm-fresh fare but also learn more about how food is grown, the most delicious ways to prepare fresh fruits + veggies, and even get their hands dirty in the farm garden. Here are a few of our favorite ways to spend a Saturday morning at Soil Born Farms: 

What to do at Soil Born Farms

Enjoy CA GROWN menu specials at Phoebe’s Cafe in the Farmhouse Kitchen

Three CA GROWN menu specials are on the Saturday morning menu at Phoebe’s cafe, which is located in the educational farmhouse kitchen at Soil Born Farms. It’s a walk-up café run by participants in Soil Born’s Teen Empowerment Program.

The program provides local high school students with hands-on job training and mentorship opportunities while teaching valuable skills in agriculture, food service and customer relations.

Chef Educator Gina Marraccini explains, “Some of these kids visited the farm during our summer day camps, and now they’re 18, graduating and going on to college. It’s inspiring to see them grow up and be really great workers and great people.“

The café’s menu is seasonal and showcases fruits + vegetables from Soil Born’s produce stand and other local organic farms. Gina explains, “We’re unique in that we get to see produce grown from seed, into the ground, then the kitchen, and then go to the tables. I think it’s very inspiring for the people to eat our food and know that they can buy most of it right over there at our farm stand and take it home and try and recreate it themselves.”

Phoebe’s Cafe currently features these three CA GROWN menu specials: the Garden Bowl, Seasonal Frittata and Signature Cobbler Bars: 

Garden Bowl 

The Garden Bowl salad is one of the most popular items at Phoebe’s Café in the spring and summer. Gina excitedly states, “They’re nutritious and just loaded with all California veggies that we grow here on our farm, and also procure from other local organic farms.” She continues, “We have red beets, orange beets, turnips, and rainbow carrots, all roasted and put on top of a beautiful bed of our Salanova salad mix and dino kale that we grow here in our fields. Then we have our organic champagne vinaigrette that we make in-house, some pickled onions, pumpkin seeds, and goat cheese, just to add a little tang and creaminess to the whole thing.”

Seasonal Frittata

Highlighting the freshest produce available at the on-site produce stand and from partner farms, Gina’s personal favorite dish is the Seasonal Frittata. She grins and proudly says, “It’s very famous around here.” The specific ingredients change seasonally, and depend on what is available from their own and partner farms like Fully Belly Farm, Riverdog Farm and Terra Firma Farm.  Gina notes, “The produce at the farm stand inspires the food. Today, the frittata has asparagus from Full Belly Farms, a beautiful spring produce item that’s only around for a very short time, and new potatoes that are pulled early in the ground, just full of sugar and nutritional value.” Organic pasture-raised eggs and local goat cheese round out the fluffy, casserole-style dish, adding a creamy touch to this delightful breakfast or brunch.  

Signature Cobbler Bar

Fresh, local fruit is at the heart of the Signature Cobbler Bars at Phoebe’s Café, and the sweetest way to kick off the weekend. Gina says, “It’s a delicious little treat.” The cobbler bars boast an irresistible buttery oat crust and a seasonal jam filling. “Right now we have our Berry Cobbler Bar. It’s made with fresh strawberries and blueberries that we cook down to this awesome jam,” Gina states. 

Sign up for hands-on gardening classes + workshops

After tasting Soil Born’s fresh seasonal fare, you might feel inspired to grow some of your own. In addition to encouraging people to choose locally grown produce, Soil Born Farms helps arm home gardeners with the tools to grow their own food. The “Grow Your Groceries” workshop series introduces people to topics like soil health, irrigation and pest management to help ensure their success. 

Soil Born Farms also offers more informal agricultural education adult classes. Offerings include herb walks that teach participants to identify and use over 25 plants for food and medicine. Due to popular demand, culinary classes are also expected to return soon.

If you’re visiting Soil Born Farm with younger children in tow, check out the Lil’ Sprouts classes. Kids ages 3 to 5 can learn more about where food comes from. Then, they’ll get up close and personal with friendly farm animals and create a farm-themed craft project. 

Learn delicious ways to prepare seasonal veggies

A weekly “Eat Your Veggies” cooking demonstration takes place at Soil Born Farms in partnership with Kaiser Permanente and the California State University of Sacramento’s Nutrition Program. Janet Zeller, founder and co-director of Soil Born Farms, explains that the demos introduce easy ways to prepare some of the vegetables featured at the on-site produce stand. “I think there’s that really important aspect of teaching people how to make healthy food taste good so they want to eat more of it,” she explains. “So, our demo chefs prepare simple vegetable items for people to try at home. It’s a big hit because they can take two steps to the left and buy it!”

Shop for organic fruit + veggies at the produce stand

Soil Born Farms is committed to organic and regenerative farming practices. They’re proud to note that everything sold at the produce stand is CCOF-certified organic.

The stand features fruits, vegetables and herbs grown on-site alongside produce from other local organic farms. Soil Born is famous for its leafy greens, including arugula, chard and lettuce. Shoppers will also find citrus, stone fruit and culinary herbs such as rosemary, thyme and chives throughout the year.

Soil Born Farms also offers a drive-thru farm stand option for savvy shoppers. Choose from a selection of fruits, vegetables, flowers and even baked goods online, then schedule a Saturday morning pick-up time. Items will be boxed and ready to go – and delivered right to your car door!

Browse Millie’s Mercantile for California-grown jams, soups, sauces and more

Millie’s Mercantile offers a delicious assortment of specialty items from California farms. Some of the most popular offerings at Millie’s Mercantile include Tomato Pasta Sauce from Full Belly Farms, frozen soups from Soil Born’s Farmhouse Kitchen, Rancho Gordo heirloom beans and Séka Hills olive oil. 

Shop for plants at the Greenhouse

Janet explains that some of the agriculture education is a passive form of learning, happening simply by walking through Soil Born Farms. “ We show people that you can grow pomegranate trees and olive trees in your backyard. Just by coming and walking around, we inspire local community members to do more in their own gardens.” 

Once inspiration strikes, stroll through the greenhouse to pick up seedlings and starts to grow at home. Soil Born’s helpful staff members are happy to answer questions and recommend classes to help you succeed.

Choose CA GROWN

Gina and Janet hope that a visit to Soil Born Farms – and tasting their CA GROWN specials – inspires consumers to consider the connection between food, health and the environment and the importance of eating local. “I think people should seek out California-grown produce for their overall well-being and the community’s well-being,” Gina says. “Consuming produce at peak freshness and seasonality supports the local farmer, keeps the money in the local economy and keeps the money in the local economy.” Then, with a big smile, she concludes, “And it tastes amazing, too.” 

Article and photography by Hilary Rance.