A Morning at the Huntington Ranch

The Huntington Library, San Marino, CA

Nothing makes a sunny Saturday morning in southern California more perfect than a stroll through The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens in San Marino, CA. Oh wait, I retract that first sentence; one thing is more perfect, and that is sharing the experience with a great friend.

My friend Laila and I at the Ranch.

I met my friend Laila while interning at the Garden School Foundation. She was one of my garden managers and from her I learned how charmingly decadent chocolate avocado mousse could be, or exist for that matter; how to savor lunch time in our school garden chomping on cheese and crackers while lounging on the grass under a precious piece of shade as if we were on a French farm in the French countryside; how to weed and wheel-barrel loads of green waste like a champion; how it is ok, no FANTASTIC, to sometimes be like what many of our peers and family would consider an "old-lady" and have "old-lady" tendencies like going to bed early, gardening and visiting the Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens on a Saturday morning.

For my friends who do not know. The Huntington was founded by Henry E. Huntington in 1919 and serves as a private nonprofit collections-based research and educational institution. Over his lifetime, Mr. Huntington garnered a world renown research library, significant art collection, and the diverse creation of botanical gardens covering 120 acres of the 207-acre estate, representing plants and regions from across the globe. On this morning, Laila and I ventured off to The Huntington Ranch, a fairly new project of grounds.

The tool shed greets visitors at the main entrance of the Ranch.  

Opening in November 2010, The Huntington Ranch serves as an outdoor classroom, research lab, and demonstration garden, focusing on sustainable urban agriculture. The Ranch is open on 15 acres of land with an array of vegetable gardens; fruit trees rescued from L.A.'s former South Central Farm; orange groves from the beginning days of when The Huntington was a ranch; and a heritage grove of California avocados.

These orange trees will act as a hedge, growing up to between 6-8 feet. 

These leafy greens are part of research. 

Veggie varieties sprawl among the grounds.  

Dried chilies hang from the tool shed. 

An array of vegetables under close research. 

Pomelos line the entrance.

There is a wonderful road lined with trees to wander down.

Scott Kleinrock educates visitors about various green topics.

Scott Kleinrock is project manager for the Ranch and a master's student in landscape architecture at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. He hopes the Ranch will serve as a resource in strengthening L.A.'s food system into a more sustainable and equitable one. The Ranch will hold gardening workshops for both adults and students, teacher trainings, and be a forum for professionals of sustainable urban agriculture. The Ranch is not always open for visitors, so make sure to check the calendar of events on  your visit, and don't forget to bring a great friend.



*photos by Tiffanie Ma