rainbow over the Hollywood sign in Los Angeles
Rainbow over The Hollywood Sign.

Agave plants basking under the California sun, with the Hollywood sign watching over them. Ready to be harvested for craft Agave Spirit (Mezcal and Tequila). Sound glamorous? Lol, no. Here’s a sneak peek into a typical day at Mulholland Estate Agave Farm—where adventure is another word for hard work.

Morning: The Golden Hour

6:00 AM: Reality Check

It’s Saturday. The sun’s just peeking over the horizon, casting a golden glow across the Hollywood Hills. A double shot latte in hand, I sit on the sofa with our 13-year-old rescue pup, Zuri, mesmerized by the view. It never gets old.

Here’s where the glamor ends. Like clockwork, this tranquil moment is ruined by our other two more rambunctious pups, who act like they’ve never been fed before every morning.

7:00 AM: Saturdays and Sundays are full-time farming duties. Jules and I have full-time jobs during the week, which only allows for 3-4 hours a day on the farm. Our agave plants are our babies now with our son going off to UCLA this fall. Each one is nurtured by hand, ensuring they get the care they need to thrive. I start the watering on our greenhouse agave plants. Jules continues the never-ending job of weeding, checking the soil for moisture, fungus, and pests, and making sure each plant is healthy and happy. This truckload of weed (not the fun kind) is from just this morning. And it grew this tall over the past two weeks! It’s a meditative process, and there’s something incredibly grounding about working with the earth.

fast growing weeds in california.
Weed (and not the fun kind).

In LA, watering is a strategic game: mornings or evenings, or else it just vaporizes in the midday scorching sun. Agave plants don’t need water year-round. They only need water once a week when they are planted to develop roots or when the temperature tops 90. As they get more established, growers say the less you water, the better they do. It’s a win-win. I’m counting down the days until my paycheck isn’t drenched by our water bill!

Mid-Morning: Wake-Up the Teen

9:00 AM: Time for a water break ourselves and to wake up our ever-so-enthusiastic teenage son (insert sarcasm here). He makes his protein shake, and we take the dogs for a sprint around the lower lot by the greenhouses. This blog was written during graduation week. My parents and eight other family members are staying with us. My parents join us as we re-pot some agave plants that were planted as seedlings but have outgrown their pots. As we lift each pot, their roots have not only breached the pot but also punctured through the fabric ground cover and into the earth below. Although it takes around five years to harvest, they sure are growing fast!

Farm-life with the Grandparents.

11:00 AM: A quick break to catch up on emails and social media. We love sharing our journey with you all, and it’s always great to see the excitement and support from our community. If you haven’t already, subscribe to our blog and our YouTube channel, where you can follow the ups and downs of our journey.

Afternoon: Lunch Under the Wine-Vine Pergola

12:00 PM: Have you ever been to an Indian family picnic?

We gather under the shade of our pergola for a loud picnic-style lunch. Everyone talks over the other, and loud laughter abounds. “Nani, you make the best samosas”. “Back in my time…”. The backdrop of The Hollywood sign above is always breathtaking. It’s the perfect time and place to catch up with the family and chat about plans for the farm. “What is Agave, and why are you doing this?” I explain, and they get our excitement, I think. And, of course, lunch ends with a nice cup of afternoon Chai. With a full house, I’m sure Jules is thankful for the farm duties. He grabs his Chai and off he goes on the UTV down the mountain.

On a side note, the pergola was placed in that spot because I thought it would make a gorgeous wine vine canopy. I planted eight wine vines from Sonoma around it along its posts. The vines were thick and leafy, growing pretty well…until today. Today, we discover they were all eaten. Right down to the grafted stalk at the base. Rabbits are cute…but man! I immediately order cages on Amazon, to be delivered tomorrow. Hopefully, I can save them. Life on a farm, right? When you think you’ve got it all figured out, nature throws a curveball. More on this soon.

2:00 PM: This afternoon – Time for UTV tours for those family members who dared.

Julian and I continue re-potting (a thousand left to go). Jules takes family members on UTV tours of the farm. Check out the YouTube video of the Grandparents’ first UTV ride on our farm—oh boy. It was an experience, to say the least! A word of caution: turn the volume down. It’s a wild ride, and their screams could wake the agave!

Evening: Wrapping Up

4:00 PM: The day’s winding down, but there’s still work to be done. We finish up in the fields, making sure agave plants that were toppled by water or rocks are upright and everything is in order for the night. As the sun sets, the agave plants take on a magical glow—there’s no place we’d rather be.

6:00 PM: After a long day, it’s time to relax. Dinner and tonight, we’re trying out a new cocktail recipe featuring one of our favorite tequilas and jalapeños for the Indian side of our family. It’s the perfect way to unwind and reflect on the day’s accomplishments.

Night: Reflecting

9:00 PM: Glam hour- LA Sunset.

gorgeous Los Angeles sunset. Fire sky.
Gorgeous LA Sunset.

While our lives may not be glamorous, the view of the city certainly makes a statement. They say it’s the journey, not the destination. Knowing we’re building something extraordinary here creates a sense of peace and fulfillment.

Every day at Mulholland Estate is a blend of hard work, passion, and a little bit of magic. We’re not just growing agave; we’re cultivating a dream. And we can’t wait to share the fruits of our labor with you all.

Cheers!

Priti