orchard rounds with her two friendly dogs – Flora, a foraging, fruit-
eating sweet Collie sitting shotgun and Katrina, a small Terrier/
Chihuahua rescue mix, mouser, and “meat eater of the family.”
Sandy explains, “I was born on my grandparents’ little chicken
farm of about 14 acres in Shrewsbury, New Jersey. It had a little
lake on it, and my grandmother just loved to grow things. My
mother said at two years old, I was out there with the shovel
digging holes, sticking plants in the ground, and watering them.
My parents stood there and said, “I think we’ve got a farmer.” They
were right: I went to Ag School, and I have a BS and MS in plant
GRAPES&BERRIES
BY EVA VAN PROOYEN
Forbidden Fruit and Cebada Wine
P
erched upon a hill 55 miles north of Montecito, three
miles off Highway 246 up Cebada Canyon Road, past vast
swaths of agriculture land, rolling hills, vineyards, horse
ranches, and behind two gates, lies Forbidden Fruit Orchards – a
100-acre farm planted with a surprising trove of harvestable treasures
including a six-acre field of certified organic blueberries, seven and a
half acres of grapes, an acre of kiwis, half an acre of avocados, an acre
of Pakistani mulberry trees, and an eye-widening assortment of fruits
and vegetables.
On a warm and sunny late afternoon tour of the farm, owner,
ornamental horticulturist, businesswoman, and winemaker Sandy
Newman, climbs into a four-wheel utility farm vehicle to make the
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