J&P Cosentino Family Farm, San Jose

About J&P Cosentino Family Farm

J&P Cosentino Family Farm is an urban orchard in San Jose operated by five generations of the Cosentino family since 1945. As the last working orchard in the city, the farm grows more than thirty types of peaches, along with apricots, plums, prunes, nectarines, apples, figs, bush berries, persimmons, and grapes. Visitors can see the fruit displays and learn about traditional, environmentally conscious farming practices that take advantage of San Jose's warm days, cool nights, and fertile soil. The farm picks fruit fully ripe, much riper than commercial growers typically harvest. Originally a ten-acre property, the orchard was reduced to just over two acres following the installation of Highway 85 in 1988, after which the Cosentino family doubled their tree density. The San Jose Mercury News has called the farm "The Secret Garden."