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everyone pitched in." John spent his entire pro- fessional life working at the ranch, joined later by his sis- ter Claire; cousins, Pam and Carla; and lastly, his younger brother Michael. Today, Claire lives in a home with a sweeping view of the former ar tichoke fields. For tunately, trees obscure her line of sight to the former ranch buildings that have today fall- en into sad disrepair. "I'm thankful for that," she says. All other Odello family members still live in the Carmel area. Unlike many seasonal Monterey County crops, the Odello ar tichoke farm was a year- round operation. The plants were staggered in planting, enabling multiple harvests per year. In the days before long-distance interstate truck- ing became economically feasible, the finest specimens were shipped to far-flung markets via train from the Monterey train station, now the site of Dust Bowl Brewing. They were warehoused in the long, low building just to the nor th of the station. Some didn't get that far. "Local Italians would come down to the ranch and get the artichokes that couldn't be sold," Michael says. "Some would barter with fish; some would trade their labor." Seeing the Odello's suc- cess and recognizing the area as optimum for arti- choke operations, other growers planted rows nearby. At the peak, there were around 1,000 acres of artichokes in production around the area, including on what is now the Mission Fields resi- 180 C A R M E L M A G A Z I N E • H O L I D A Y 2 0 1 9 Photo: Kelli Uldall The third generation of Odellos together at the former family home: Carla Odello, Pam Noto, John Odello, Claire Berry and Michael Odello. Aerial view of the west side of the Odello Ranch. Highway 1 is at left. At one point, more than 1,000 acres of this area were planted with artichokes by the Odello family and other growers. Photo: Courtesy of the Odello Family