Farm Beat: Oakdale’s Bloomingcamp Ranch has new operators

Matthew and Courtney Smith, the new operators of Bloomingcamp Ranch, know its history as a fruit and nut farm and bakery.

A fresh scent of baking apples wafted through the place as they talked Wednesday morning about their plans. They are among several operators over the past two decades since the retirement of Joy Bloomingcamp – who still owns and lives on the property – and her late husband, Bill.

The Smiths are bringing fresh fruits and vegetables from their Waterford-area farm to supplement the offerings at Bloomingcamp. This spot on Highway 120 a mile east of Oakdale long has been popular among locals and Sierra Nevada-bound tourists.

“The charm of going to work at Bloomingcamp is second to none, in my opinion,” Matthew Smith said.

The Bloomingcamps raised sheep on the property in the 1950s, then planted almonds, walnuts and some of the first apple trees in Stanislaus County. They started selling apples to the public in the 1970s and built the bakery in the 1980s. The place no longer has a Christmas tree farm.

The Smiths own 80 acres about half a mile north of Waterford, where they produce walnuts, almonds, honey, olives, and a variety of fruits and vegetables. Some of the bounty goes to farmers markets in Oakdale, Hilmar, Gustine, Lodi and Dublin. Some is sold via “community-supported agriculture” – customers pay in advance and get whatever is in season.

Matthew Smith is managing the 120 acres of trees at Bloomingcamp. His farming operation overall employs 30 people. The bakery and adjacent produce market have seven part-timers.

The bakery turns out apple and other fruit pies, along with turnovers, dumplings, cookies, cakes and breads. Joy Bloomingcamp’s recipes remain in use.

Courtney Smith is part of the Borrelli family, which raises beef cattle and row crops near Gustine. Her husband grew up in the Escalon area and started farming at 18. Their son, Henry, is 2, and daughter, Lucy, is 5 months.

Bloomingcamp still has its pond, waterwheel and grassy area for weddings and other events. The Smiths plan to start school field trips this fall. They also will have farm-to-table dinners on the third Friday of each month from February to October, featuring local food prepared by local chefs.

The produce market right now offers beets, carrots, squash, strawberries and other early spring fare. Late spring and summer will bring peaches, plums, cantaloupes and much more. Other producers will provide pasture-raised eggs and farmstead cheese.

“We’re bringing people food as fresh as it can get,” Courtney Smith said. “It’s a labor of love.”

This story was originally published April 17, 2015 at 12:41 PM with the headline "Farm Beat: Oakdale’s Bloomingcamp Ranch has new operators."