Frog Hollow Farm

```mediawiki Frog Hollow Farm is a farm located in Brentwood, in Contra Costa County, California, owned and operated by farmer Al Courchesne, widely known as "Farmer Al." Founded in 1973, the farm spans approximately 140 acres and is best known for its certified organic stone fruits, including peaches, nectarines, plums, and apriums, as well as its long-standing commitment to sustainable agriculture and direct-market farming. The farm sells its produce through farmers' markets, a community-supported agriculture (CSA) program, an online farm store, and wholesale accounts with restaurants and retailers throughout California. Frog Hollow Farm is widely recognized as one of California's premier organic stone fruit operations and has maintained a partnership with the Community Alliance with Family Farmers (CAFF) spanning more than four decades.

History

Frog Hollow Farm was established in 1973 and has grown over five decades from a small family operation into one of the best-known certified organic farms in Northern California. Farmer Al Courchesne has been the guiding force behind the farm's development, building its reputation on the quality of its stone fruit and a commitment to organic practices at a time when such methods were far from mainstream in California agriculture. The farm is currently marking its 50th anniversary, a milestone that has been noted in its own publications and by longtime partner organizations.

Over the decades, the farm has diversified its offerings beyond stone fruit to include green almonds, citrus, and a range of other tree fruits and vegetables depending on the season. The green almond harvest, which takes place in early spring before the nuts have hardened, has become a signature seasonal event for the farm and draws attention from chefs and food enthusiasts throughout the region.

Frog Hollow Farm's relationship with the Community Alliance with Family Farmers (CAFF) stretches back more than forty years, making it one of the longer-standing institutional partnerships in California's sustainable agriculture community. CAFF, a nonprofit that advocates for family farmers and sustainable food systems, has worked with the farm on policy issues, market development, and public outreach over the course of that relationship.

People

Farmer Al Courchesne is the owner and primary public face of Frog Hollow Farm. He has been an active participant in California agricultural policy and has testified before legislative bodies on issues affecting small and mid-sized family farms. In 2025, Courchesne appeared before the California Assembly Agriculture Committee in support of AB 1731, a bill with implications for California's farming community, alongside Assemblywoman Lori Wilson and other agricultural advocates. His public engagement reflects the farm's broader role as an advocate for policies that support sustainable, small-scale agriculture in California.

Geography

Frog Hollow Farm is located in Brentwood, California, a city in eastern Contra Costa County situated in the agricultural area east of the Diablo Range and west of the Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta. The region is part of what is historically known as the Brentwood agricultural belt, long recognized for its stone fruit production due to warm summers, rich soils, and reliable water access. The farm's location in this inland valley provides a climate substantially different from the coast — with warm, dry summers and cool winters — that is particularly well suited to the cultivation of peaches, nectarines, plums, and other stone fruits that require a defined chill period in winter and heat accumulation in summer.

The surrounding area has experienced significant residential and commercial development pressure in recent decades as the Bay Area's suburban boundaries have expanded eastward, creating an ongoing tension between agricultural land preservation and urban growth. Frog Hollow Farm operates within this context, and Farmer Al's engagement in legislative advocacy reflects the challenges faced by agricultural operations in areas subject to development encroachment.

Agriculture and Products

Frog Hollow Farm is certified organic and focuses primarily on stone fruits, a category that includes peaches, nectarines, plums, pluots, apriums, and cherries. The farm's peaches and nectarines are among its most celebrated products and have earned consistent recognition from chefs, food writers, and culinary institutions in the Bay Area and beyond. The farm times its harvests to capture fruit at peak ripeness and uses direct-market channels — including farmers' markets and its CSA program — to minimize the time between harvest and consumption, a practice that distinguishes its produce from commercially distributed fruit picked underripe for transport.

The green almond harvest represents one of the farm's more distinctive seasonal offerings. Green almonds, harvested before the outer hull dries and the inner shell hardens, have a tart, slightly gelatinous texture and are prized in certain culinary traditions, including Persian and French cooking. Frog Hollow Farm has helped introduce this product to a wider audience of Bay Area consumers and chefs, and the annual harvest marks the beginning of the farm's stone fruit season.

Economy

Frog Hollow Farm sells its produce through multiple direct-market channels, including stalls at Bay Area farmers' markets, a subscription CSA program, an e-commerce farm store that ships to customers across the country, and wholesale relationships with restaurants and specialty grocery retailers. This diversified sales model allows the farm to capture retail margins on much of its output while maintaining brand recognition among consumers who value knowing the source of their food.

The farm's 2025 impact reporting documents its ongoing activities and outreach, reflecting a commitment to transparency around its operations and community role. As a family farm operating in the premium organic market, Frog Hollow also contributes to the regional agricultural economy of Contra Costa County by maintaining farmland in active production, employing seasonal and year-round agricultural workers, and participating in markets that support the broader ecosystem of small farm vendors.

Advocacy and Community Role

Beyond its agricultural operations, Frog Hollow Farm has established itself as an active voice in California farm policy. Farmer Al Courchesne's participation in hearings on legislation such as AB 1731 demonstrates the farm's engagement with policy questions that affect family-scale operations statewide. The farm's long partnership with CAFF similarly reflects a sustained engagement with the advocacy and organizational infrastructure of California's sustainable agriculture movement.

The farm also uses its blog and social media presence to communicate directly with consumers about seasonal availability, farming practices, and food culture, building a community of customers who follow the farm's activities throughout the year.

See Also

Brentwood, California Community Alliance with Family Farmers Urban Agriculture Sustainable Agriculture Organic farming in California ```