Page 50 - San Luis Obispo Visitors Guide - Summer 2025

50 SUMMER 2025 slovisitorsguide.com
Nipomo
Luffa Farm—a rare gem
in wine country
We all know that San Luis
Obispo County features
nearly 300 wineries, but one of
its hidden gems, The Luffa Farm,
is also a rarity and a must-visit
destination.
Owner Deanne Coon began
growing luffas in the early 1980s
by accident when a college friend
was given some mystery seeds for
a project. Deanne was known for
her green thumb, so she planted
the seeds in her garden. As the
mystery seeds sprouted and grew,
no one could identify the plant. It
quickly became “that part of the
garden I’ll get to this weekend.” for
a few weekends in a row. As luck
would have it, those extra weekends
allowed the plants to dry out. While
tearing out the dried plants and
pods, Deanne and her compan-
ion heard rattling. They curiously
opened a pod and behold! They
discovered luffa!
A squash with a purpose
So, what is a luffa? Many people
think that the luffa (or loofah as
it’s sometimes marketed) grows in
the sea. However, loofa is actu-
ally a squash that’s closely related
to the cucumber and has been a
skincare necessity for thousands of
years. Most luffas sold in the United
States are imported and subjected
to chemical treatments. The luffas
Deanne has been growing in Ni-
pomo since 1999 are a fantastic and
eco-conscious choice.
What started as a hobby grew
into a business. Deanne began
growing luffa to sell to local gift
made soaps and bath products.
Guests learn about how luffas are
grown on their free drop-in tours.
The gift shop occasionally has luffa
seeds for sale for those who want to
grow their own.
How does
a luffa
grow?
Get
ready to
be patient
because
luffas take
six to nine
months
until they
are ready
to harvest.
Deanne
grows
them in
pots with string for support so
gravity can help them grow into
a straight luffa. Gamble explains,
“They start out looking like
cucumbers or zucchini growing
out of the back of a flower.” At this
A destination
for ‘adventurous
knowledge-
seekers’
point, they’re ready to eat, but the
magic happens when left on the
vine. The luffa fibers get larger and
denser. The vine eventually sucks
the water out of the gourd and
recycles it through the rest of the
plant. Gamble continues, “When
it’s completely brown and crisp, it’s
ready to harvest. We cut it off the
vine, whack it to break it open, and
shake the seeds out from the center.
Then we peel the skin off, rinse it
out, and trim it into whatever size
luffa we need.”
Summer and fall are perfect for
visiting The Luffa Farm. Drop-in
tours are offered for groups of fewer
than 12 for free. For groups of 12
or more, a reservation is required
along with a $5.00 admission fee
per person.
The Luffa Farm, located at 1457
Willow Road in Nipomo, is open
Wednesday-Sunday, 10 a.m.- 4 p.m.
For more information, visit
theluffafarm.com or call
(805) 343-0883.
— Karen Lycan
shops and spas, but “pretty quickly,
word got out around town that the
‘luffa lady’ lived across from the
golf course, and people regularly
tracked her down, knocked on her
door and asked to go scuba diving
for luffas
with her,”
according to
Brooklynn
Gamble, gift
shop man-
ager and
tour guide.
People
began
showing up
every day,
and Deanne
enjoyed
showing
them the
farm.
Her husband built the gift shop,
and the farm has been open to the
public ever since. The Luffa Farm
grows between twelve and fifteen
thousand luffas each year. Most are
sold in the gift shop with home-
Locally grown luffas since 1999.