# My Organic Farmer - Charlie Dedlow Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7zC_h1UsFtc Recap page: https://rapidrecap.app/video/7zC_h1UsFtc Generated: 2026-02-24T14:34:19.522+00:00 --- ## Quick Overview Charlie Dedlow of Kenter Canyon Farms details his successful organic farming operation, which supplies high-quality produce like specialty greens and heirloom tomatoes to local Los Angeles markets and restaurants, contrasting it with large-scale farming by emphasizing the labor-intensive but rewarding nature of their small-scale, high-touch cultivation methods, including the use of companion planting like marigolds to naturally deter pests. **Key Points:** - Kenter Canyon Farms operates in the Santa Monica/Ojai area, utilizing 150 acres split into 10-acre parcels, all supported by on-site wells. - The farm focuses on high-quality, specialty organic greens and heirloom tomatoes, which are often triple-washed and delivered within 24 hours of harvest. - Charlie mentions that his mother, Alice Waters, who used to work at Chez Panisse, inspired his focus on high-quality ingredients and farming. - The farm uses companion planting, such as marigolds, to naturally deter pests like aphids, avoiding chemical pesticides. - The host, Daniel Tosh, shares an anecdote about a customer who expected him to wash his produce, contrasting the farm's high standards with common consumer expectations. - The business is entirely family-run, with Charlie and his brother handling operations, and they proudly support local farmers' markets and restaurants in LA. ![Screenshot at 44:17: Daniel Tosh demonstrates the salad spinner and then is handed a surfboard by Charlie, prompting Tosh to joke about the surfboard's shape and the need for manual labor in farming.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/7zC_h1UsFtc/00-44-17.jpg) **Context:** The video features an interview on the 'Tosh Show' between host Daniel Tosh and Charlie Dedlow, the owner/operator of Kenter Canyon Farms, a small-scale organic farm in Southern California. The discussion centers on the challenges and rewards of running a small, high-quality organic farming operation, including their growing practices, customer interactions, and the contrast between their methods and large-scale industrial agriculture. ## Detailed Analysis Charlie Dedlow discusses Kenter Canyon Farms, an organic farm operating on 150 acres split into 10-acre parcels, all supported by dedicated water wells. Their focus is on high-quality specialty items like greens and heirloom tomatoes, which they harvest and deliver within 24 hours to maintain freshness, often supplying high-end Los Angeles restaurants and farmer's markets. He attributes his focus on quality to his mother, who used to work at Chez Panisse. He explains their sustainable pest control methods, such as companion planting marigolds to naturally deter pests like aphids, avoiding pesticides, which is crucial because they cannot sell produce that has been treated with chemicals or that has been sitting on shelves too long. Tosh expresses surprise at the labor intensity required for such high standards, especially compared to industrial farming, and jokes about the absurdity of customers expecting perfectly clean produce when the farm often deals with muddy conditions and pests. The conversation also touches on the family's history in the food world, their lack of involvement in politics or pyramid schemes, and the personal satisfaction derived from producing high-quality, local food that people appreciate. ### Farming Operation & Philosophy - Kenter Canyon Farms operates on 150 acres in the Ojai/Santa Clara Valley area, utilizing wells for irrigation; they focus on high-quality, specialty organic produce like heirloom tomatoes and greens, which are often triple-washed and delivered within 24 hours of harvest. ### Pest Control & Organic Methods - The farm relies on companion planting (e.g., marigolds) to repel pests like aphids, avoiding chemical pesticides; this is necessary because their customers value the high quality and purity of the product. ### Business Growth & Logistics - The farm has grown from starting small in a backyard to having 100 employees and distributing to various LA locations, including Whole Foods, Erewhon, and Bristol Farms, as well as direct delivery. ### Tosh's Interaction & Gifts - Tosh reads a question about whether the guest likes the 'They Love Me/They Love Me Not' aspect of their business, and Charlie brings out merchandise (hats and a pie) as gifts, demonstrating the intensity of the business. ### Family & History - Charlie's mother, Alice Waters (of Chez Panisse fame), inspired his culinary focus; the family business has been around since 1987. ### Q&A Highlights - The discussion covered the difficulty of maintaining organic standards, the comparison between their operation and large-scale farming, and Tosh's surprise at the amount of manual labor involved. ![Screenshot at 00:00: The opening shot of the podcast featuring Daniel Tosh interviewing Charlie Dedlow in the 'Tosh Show' studio.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/7zC_h1UsFtc/00-00-00.jpg) ![Screenshot at 00:21: Daniel Tosh reads a question from a card, prompting a discussion about the guest's background.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/7zC_h1UsFtc/00-00-21.jpg) ![Screenshot at 01:17: An email is displayed showing a waitlist confirmation for tickets to 'Tosh.0', likely used as an example in the conversation.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/7zC_h1UsFtc/00-01-17.jpg) ![Screenshot at 02:10: Daniel Tosh gestures emphatically while explaining a point about securing show tickets, contrasting it with the guest's farming routine.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/7zC_h1UsFtc/00-02-10.jpg) ![Screenshot at 06:38: A graphic displays the logo for 'Kenter Canyon Farms', the guest's organic farming business.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/7zC_h1UsFtc/00-06-38.jpg)