Naked Farms profile

This article first appeared in the August issue of the Briar Patch News and Review.

Four years ago, a few miles north of Nevada City, Linda and Thomas Cofal started farming their land. They named their farm Naked Farms because their vegetables would be naked—no pesticides. They could also have named the farm Tiny Farm, because the land they work totals less than two acres. Once acre is cultivated in row crops, plus they have 1/4 acre blueberries and some jujubes. The Cofals have no tractor; they do all their work by hand. They have no farm hands, children, or interns; they alone take their crops from seed to market. And, since they both work off the land at “real jobs”, the forty hours they spend each week on the farm is not only their passion, but also their second job.

Because the Cofal’s farm is small, they cater to a niche market, providing specialty crops to gourmet restaurants and to Briar Patch. They grow Mediterranean cucumbers, for example, and they are experimenting with growing varieties of lettuce and broccoli that can thrive in the summer heat and sun. Rows of sweet basil, flowers, peppers, and tomatoes round out the majority of their crop. Their 1/4 acre greenhouse helps the Cofals extend their growing season as well as experiment with different varieties of vegetables. “Someone told us we couldn’t grow peppers here,” Linda Cofal said, waving her hand at the rows of peppers in her greenhouse. Experimenting with crops is a continuing pleasure for the Cofals, as is looking forward to the day they quit their other jobs and, as Utah Phillips once said, “call in well.”

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