Plants. Flowers. Trees.

As with much of California, Santa Cruz’s temperate climate makes it a hotspot of biodiversity and a great community for gardening and certain agricultural crops. Ninety precent of the brussels sprouts in the U.S., for example, are grown in Santa Cruz and two of its neighboring counties, Monterey and San Mateo. I love these tiny cabbages in concept, but not in practice. Some of my best friends are Brussels sprout eaters, though.

Santa Cruz county boasts over 2,500 acres of strawberry fields. I do my fair share of purchasing and consuming local strawberries. Same with artichokes, the crown jewel of the vegetables. Almost all commercial artichokes in the U.S. are grown in California. Though Castroville in neighboring Monterey County is the unrivaled artichoke capital of California, When you get right to the heart of it, though, Santa Cruz also plays a vital role in the cultivation of this delicious thistle.