Driving the rolling coastal hills and oceanfront valleys of the Central Coast is like driving through a visual guide to California produce—lettuce, snap peas, strawberries, and other crops flourish in the rich soils and cool temperatures of the region. One of the region’s most distinctive crops is the artichoke, particularly around the rural town of Castroville, 19 miles northeast of Monterey. The town, nicknamed “the Artichoke Capital of the World,” is home to Ocean Mist Farms, a major producer of artichokes and other crops on farms dotting the length of California. Fourth-generation farmer Troy Boutonnet, vice president of production for Ocean Mist, regularly checks on the company’s 3,000 acres of artichoke fields. “Because of the north-south length of the state, we get a year-round production of the best vegetables in the entire United States,” says Troy.
