Winter 2023

Cultivating Community An Or ganic Garden Provides Produce and Creates Connect ion B Y R ENE E B R I NCK S G uests enjoy commanding Carmel Valley views outside the Hacienda, a Spanish colonial-style gathering place for mem- bers of the Santa Lucia Preserve’s Ranch Club. Trees dot the landscape and hills shift from shades of gold to green as the seasons change, here in the heart of this 20,000-acre private community. The nonprofit Santa Lucia Conservancy permanently protects the diverse wildlife and ecological integrity of 18,000 of those acres. Given the Preserve’s community-wide sustainability commitment, it’s no surprise that Ranch Club members once rallied to create an on-site organic garden. After the "Green Goddesses," as the group called themselves, proposed the idea in 2014, crews transformed a former event lawn into a lush, one-acre plot of vegetables, fruit trees, herbs and ornamental blooms. “We’ve got an amazing number of flowers and a wide range of vari- eties that you don’t typically see.We grow these super-cool little blue- berry tomatoes, and we’ve also got 12-foot-tall sunflowers. It’s quite magical, and I think the diversity just blows folks away,” says Erin Aslanian, landscape and garden manager at the Santa Lucia Preserve. The Hacienda Garden anchors farm-to-table dining experiences by the Ranch Club culinary team, including popular member dinners that pair garden-fresh elements with wine. In addition to dining here, Ranch Club members, their guests, and Preserve staffers use the space for quiet contemplation. “If someone wants to take a walk in the garden or have a little picnic, that’s available,” Aslanian says. 112 C A R M E L M A G A Z I N E • W I N T E R 2 0 2 3