Central California, sans the current drought situation, is often known for its rich farmland and agriculture. All the West Coast standards– from artichokes and avocados to strawberries and lemons– come from the deep soil patches of our great State.
Diverse as it is, where is the unsung hero of the bunch? The one that no one saw coming? The wildcard? The black sheep? Enter, the luffa! A vegetable unlike the others.
Look at her. A beauty, eh?
Now what the hell is a luffa, you might ask? Well, think of it as that gross looking spongey thing that you've see in your grandparents shower, which I always assumed was man-made in an assembly line style factory downtown. Boy was I wrong...
A whole farm dedicated to making these creatures? Count me in.
A member of the cucurbitaceous family– an unruly bunch of badasses that includes classics such as the pumpkin and gourd– the Luffa is grown from a plant that looks a bit like a cucumber. Once the body is fully developed, it's cut down, peeled and dried, yielding a spongy texture that resembles a SPONGE! (this kind of sponge, not this one, or this one). The plant grows erratically– sometimes an inch a day, sometimes never at all– and is unpredictable when it finally blossoms, which makes this vast collection of Luffas quite impressive
Once you finally get over the mind melt of the whole luffa thing, the farm is actually pretty cool to check out. You can tour the greenhouses (my god, it's hot in there), stop by the gift shop, chat with the gardeners and check out the many colorful luffa caricatures that surround the area. For those who are truly adventurous, there's also a luffa tour you can take, but that sounds a little too hardcore for my tastes.
HOW THE HELL DID THIS HAPPEN?
Deanna Coon is the HLQIC (Head Luffa Queen in charge) of this operation, and it all started during a bio class in College. After being handed a pile of luffa seeds during a botany class, Coon and her lab partner decided to give growing a shot, eventually falling in love with the concept. From there, a career and lifelong obsession was born, giving way to the idea of having a farm with glorious luffas growing 24/7.
Now, with the help of two climate-controlled greenhouses, the Luffa farm is one of the only providers of Luffas in the US, growing over 6k each year! Bravo, Deanna, you're certainly doing the work of the gods here.
