Crisp cucumbers, fragrant basil, exotic long purple beans, vibrant peppers, purple tomatillos, fresh-picked corn, tender young okra, juicy ripe tomatoes of all sizes and colors: over the last year, shoppers at Red Mountain Foods in Patagonia have been enjoying this rainbow of organic local produce grown by “Farmer Richard” Gambino at his two farming plots just outside of town.
Gambino first discovered Patagonia in 2013 on a Southwest road trip with a friend who had previously lived here and worked at Tree of Life.
Returning on another road trip ten years later, during a time of transition in his life, Gambino felt even more drawn to Patagonia. Stopping in at Red Mountain Foods, he asked then-manager Mandy Montanez, “If I moved here and started a farm, would you buy my produce?”
Montanez enthusiastically replied, “Yes!”
Gambino planned to do a bit more adventuring first. He had been living in Henderson, Nevada, while preparing to hike the 800-mile Arizona Trail from Utah to Mexico starting in October, 2023.
The AZT hike was the first time Gambino had spent that much time in Arizona. He discovered that he really liked the wide-open spaces of Arizona’s varied wilderness zones. He volunteered as a remote AZT crew member, clearing branches and downed trees with a folding hand saw along the whole length of the trail.
Reaching Patagonia in December, Gambino stopped to resupply before the last 50 miles of his trek. After catching a ride from trail angel Galen Asphaug, Gambino met Erik Asphaug and Christine Schlenker and stayed at their Rainbow Hills property west of town for a couple of days. As they talked, the pieces of Gambino’s Patagonia plan started to fall into place.
After reaching the end of the AZT, Gambino returned to Henderson and packed up as quickly as he could. He arrived back in Patagonia in January 2024 and struck a deal with Schlenker and Asphaug to expand the irrigation system, install several freeze-protected spigots, and build a shed in exchange for space to develop three garden plots. There he planted the first seeds of Farmer Richard’s Organic Produce.
A city boy with a country heart
Though he grew up in Queens, New York, Gambino longed to spend time outside in nature starting at a young age. He read books like “Robinson Crusoe” and stories about Lewis and Clark. He was a fan of the TV show “Wild Kingdom,” and joined the Boy Scouts. Significantly, an uncle lived in the mountains in upstate New York where Gambino could spend a lot of time during the summers.
Eventually, he enrolled in the environmental sciences program at Plattsburgh State University on the shores of Lake Champlain. After college, Gambino headed west, first to California before settling in Eugene, Oregon, where he lived for 27 years.
A tradesman and a gardener
An avid gardener his whole life, Gambino grew his own food in Eugene, eventually selling some at farmers’ markets.
However, Gambino’s main business in Oregon was providing tree services, landscaping and stone masonry. He got deep into the art and craft of masonry through the work of Ian Cramb, a fifth-generation Scottish mason who wrote the seminal book, “The Art of the Stonemason.” Cramb was known for restoring the Abbey on the Scottish island of Iona, and for supervising construction of a stone house for Eric Clapton on Antigua in the Caribbean.
Taken with Cramb’s methods and artistry, Gambino wrote to his publisher, who forwarded his letter to Cramb, who was then living in Pennsylvania. Gambino ended up visiting Cramb and learning firsthand from the master. He brought his skills back to Oregon to build walls, fireplaces, chimneys and patios.
Farming in Ojai
By 2013, Gambino had had enough of Eugene’s gray, wet winters. He pulled up stakes and took off on the road trip that first brought him to Patagonia. After exploring small towns in California, Arizona and New Mexico, he found a place to land in Ojai, California.
Rather than re-establish a contracting business, Gambino decided to follow his love of farming. The desire to make farming his focus “just came up in me,” Gambino said about the decision. “Maybe you don’t make as much money, but after 22 years of stonework, ‘the flavor was chewed out of the gum.’ I was ready for a change.”
He leased three-quarters of an acre to farm on the north side of Ojai. It was a good location for a farm stand to serve Ojai locals, and he could get out into the wild anytime on adjacent National Forest lands.
Gambino cultivated his no-till regenerative organic farming methods for ten years in Ojai. With careful tending and more compost every year, the soil got healthier and more productive. The farm stand grew a loyal following.
This continued until 2023 when the farm property was sold, and Gambino couldn’t find another place in Ojai to carry on. Thus began his nomadic period which eventually brought him to Patagonia. Along the way, he helped a biologist friend study desert tortoises in California and discovered a passion for trail running in the desert.
It’s about health
Producing fresh, nutritious food for himself and his community is a primary motivation for Gambino. “People need access to good food that is locally grown and picked when ripe and full of nutrients,” he said. “Commercial produce that is refrigerated for weeks before it’s eaten is just not the same.”
Gambino’s crops fuel his dedication to his own health and outdoor activities, as well. He has followed a raw vegan diet for 18 years and started eating vegan nine years before that.
Running has been part of Gambino’s life all along, too. His accomplishments include taking 7th place in a race up the Empire State Building at age 25, and achieving all-American status in the Masters age group in the 3000 meter steeple chase at age 50. He is training for the 50K Daydreamer trail run in Patagonia in February.
Growing into the future
At the end of his second summer in Patagonia, Gambino is happy with how his farm plots and business are progressing. He established a second farm location nearby on Bart Young’s property this year.
With his robust composting process fed with scrap produce from Red Mountain Foods, the sandy soil is becoming more fertile. He can grow greens and root vegetables in his greenhouse through most of the winter.
Gambino said his hardest challenge is learning how our weather patterns change from year to year, and how they affect the plants. “This year was easier than last,” he said. “We’ve had less wind, more gentle rains and fewer bugs.”
Gambino’s leading defense strategy against bugs and pests is maintaining strong, healthy plants. “I noticed over the years that plants with a disadvantage—too young or old, planted too late, damaged somehow—are the ones most vulnerable to attack,” he said. ”If the plants are strong, they can survive a little nibbling.”
The plots are surrounded by seven-foot deer fencing with wire fencing at the bottom to keep out javelinas and rabbits. Gambino said something (he thinks it’s a raccoon) is climbing over the fence and digging in the wood chips, though it hasn’t been eating anything. He is trying to capture it for relocation.
Ultimately, Gambino would like to buy a piece of land here to build and farm on.
“Patagonia has a lot of what’s important to me: sunshine, open space, and a cool town vibe. It’s a friendly place, ” he said. “People don’t think you’re weird because you start talking to them. When you wave to people, they wave back.”
Gambino’s partnership with Red Mountain Foods is working out very well; the store is selling pretty much Gambino’s entire output.
“The great thing about Richard is that he’s all heart,” said Mandy Montanez. “He takes a lot of pride in his produce and often spends a couple of hours here at the store to prep it for display, and to help wherever he can around here. He has really been a godsend. We want as much local produce as we can get!”
Beyond farming, Gambino is working to integrate into the community as well. Customers come to the store hoping to catch him there to ask questions about gardening. He has taken youth out to his farm plots to teach them about food production.
Gambino is delighted to have found such a welcoming, mutually beneficial situation in Patagonia. “If Red Mountain Foods wasn’t here, this town wouldn’t be the same,” said Gambino. “The store is central to what the town is.”