You could drive Hwy. 4 right past the Knoll Farm and never be aware of its existence. The inauspicious turn off the Byron Highway leading down a long, dirt driveway crowned by an old oak tree doesn’t prepare the first-time visitor for the amazing things waiting within.

Going to Knoll Farm isn’t like going to Disneyland. The first time I went there I felt a little uncertain about my location, since no clues were visible to confirm that I was actually going the right way. A person going to the farm for the first time can’t know for sure that they made the right turn until they’re actually driving up the lane.

But then the uncertainty is washed away by the sight of an emerald patch of land lying in beautiful disarray. Rows of fragrant rosemary, towering fig trees bearing sweet flowers, bunches of verdant greens, and radiant varieties of peppers are just a few of the foods that grow here, but the crops are not restrained in the neat rows and columns of traditional farm crop land.

Knoll farm plants are allowed to grow over one another, trees droop their limbs in unpruned majesty, and weeds are permitted to grow to their full glory. The sand-silver mane of Rick Knoll, the steward of the land, is usually seen bobbing here and there among his beautiful and disorderly tenants.

Meet the Knolls
Rick Knoll is a tall man with the clear, ruddy complexion that only a life of extended contact with the sun can bestow. Knoll greeted me with a firm shake by a callused and strong hand that was stained by a life of contact with the soil. His clear blue eyes are hesitant but trusting. He speaks in a deep voice, with a careful manner as if evaluating each word before allowing it to flow from his lips.

Rick’s petite, vivacious wife, Kristie, makes a first impression that seems the opposite of her big taciturn mate. Kristie’s soft, curly brown locks used to spill over her olive colored skin, but she recently shaved her head, creating quite a different effect.

Kristie’s dark eyes smile quickly in welcome. Her Southern drawl — the result of her Texas childhood — provides a perfect context for her affable, breezy manner. Kristie’s speech is an enchanting blend of sugar and sand sprinkled with an occasional smiling vulgarity that puts most people at ease the minute they meet her.

Rick and Kristie have made a great mark upon the agricultural history of East County. The two of them have been an inspiration for those around them. The Knoll Farm has become an institution in their industry. Innumerable fans regard them as true pioneers.

In the Beginning
Rick and Kristie Knoll arrived in Brentwood in 1979, when the area was still rural, consisting mostly of open fields and farms, peppered with only a few local, family businesses. “When we first got here, we really thought we were in the boonies,” laughed Kristie.

When they first purchased the ten-acre plot of land that would become Knoll Farm the land harbored mostly alfalfa and weeds. It was a perfect spot to fully embrace the dream that had begun with the small organic garden that they’d fed themselves with back in Santa Ana.

The young couple was excited about the transformation they were making to their “Green Acres,” lifestyle. The piece of undeveloped land was going to help them realize their dreams of living a country life. They found a place where they would build a home, and feed themselves and their friends from the food grown in their own gardens and from the chickens that provided a source of natural fertilizer and that could roam free without disturbing any neighbors. They also had found a place where they could eventually retire.

A Melon Revolution
Everything changed for them because of melons. A few years after moving onto the property, Rick and Kristie planted Crenshaw melons. Kristie says that their palates dictated this decision. “We only planted them because we loved to eat them,” she said.

The Brentwood climate turns out to be a paradise for Crenshaw melons. The land produced bountifully and hundreds of melons sprouted that season. There were more melons than the couple could eat or even give away to friends.

The Knolls decided to sell the extra melons in a simple effort to keep them from going to waste. They worked out a schedule to harvest these during the week, load them on a truck, drive them to the Bay Area, sell their melons at three different farmers’ markets, and then drive home on Sunday.

That weekend excursion quickly evolved into more farmers’ markets — expanded into Marin — and evolved into more produce, such as hefty braising greens and additional summer fruits.

In 1983, the Knolls expanded their business into restaurants. They delivered their wares personally, as well as routing certain items through Greenleaf, a San Francisco-based produce distribution company that also works with restaurants and retail stores.

“Farming really found us,” remarked Kristie. “We weren’t out looking for it.”

Organic Food and
Soil Health
The Knolls were the first people to farm organically in Brentwood. They had never used any chemicals or pesticides, and made their position official by joining California Certified Organic Farmers in 1984.

Rick’s educational background, with a Ph.D. in chemistry and three years of postgraduate agro-ecological study at the University of California at Santa Cruz, prepared him well for the position of organic farmer. With Kristie’s help, Rick experiments with alternative ways to control pests and encourage growth.

For example, the Knolls made the wonderful discovery that poisons weren’t really required to get rid of the artichoke plum moth, a common artichoke pest. All that was required to control the pest was to plant a certain thistle, which the moth prefers to the artichoke.

Rick discovered that the moth had only adapted to the artichoke when the thistles were no longer available. Planting the thistles near the artichoke plants not only lured the moth away from the artichoke, but while living on the thistle, the moth provides a food source for a wide variety of beneficial insects.

Pioneers Showing
Others the Way
Rick’s genius and respect for nature began to garner attention from environmentalists, organic food eaters, and world-renowned restaurateurs, but his own neighbors didn’t always understand.

“People thought we were nuts,” he said. Kristie added, “They called us messy hippies because we let our weeds grow. But bare ground is unnatural — unless you’re in the desert — and killing weeds also kills habitat for beneficial insects, kills helpful microbes in the soil, and takes away moisture for root systems. Food can’t grow on denuded ground.”

Andy Powning of Greenleaf Produce thinks the practice of intelligently concentrating on the health of the land sets Knoll Farm apart. “The amazing thing is that when you go to see them, their soil is more than a foot higher than the surrounding area,” Powning said. “They so lovingly care for it.”

Walnut Creek resident Gail Wadsworth agrees. “They are pioneers in the California’s sustainable agriculture scene. Everyone in the industry knows who they are,” she said. Wadsworth set up a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) program in which Brentwood farmers contribute to weekly boxes of produce to be delivered to private homes in her town. The Knolls have participated in the CSA, appropriately called “Eat Outside the Box,” since its inception in May 2002.

Wadsworth says the members of CSA love Knoll Farm produce, not only because they know it was grown ethically and responsibly, but because the products expand their horizons. She said that it encourages people to eat produce that they normally wouldn’t buy, such as cardoons, fig wood for grilling, and fig leaves for imparting flavor to meat, fish, and vegetables.

The Evolution Continues
In 2002, the Knolls attracted even more attention when, as a result of the National Organic Rule, they decided not to renew their organic certification. The new rules provide a federally enforced definition of organic foods that Rick and Kristie disagree with. “There has been a lowering of the bar,” Kristie said. “The industry has begun to take the easy way out rather than pursuing a plan to create the most nutritious food.”

The Knolls believe that the USDA ruined the word “organic” by giving it a definition that Rick and Kristie disagree with. With a local artist, they decided to design their own label, a name for their produce they could believe in. They chose the name Tairwa.

“Tairwa” is the phonetic spelling of the French word “terroir,” which Knolls believe communicates their vision. The French word refers to the characteristics of soil, earth, and weather that contribute to the character of wine, fruits, and vegetables. Knoll Farm produce reflects the land on which it’s grown. The kind of farming the Knolls carry out represents true sustainability, a concept the Knolls consider to be beyond simple organic farming.

“Our focus is the soil. It always has been and always will be,” said Kristie. “The soil is the foundation — its viability and health are paramount.”

Tairwa, though shrouded in controversy, has had great success. “We are still amazed,” said Kristie. “We thought we’d be ostracized. We struggled with the decision, and were in battle for years, but we got so much positive publicity that we finally made it,” she said.

An Eye to the Future
The Knolls hope that Brentwood will be able to preserve its agricultural roots. “Brentwood has some of the best farmland in the country — capable of year-round production,” said Kristie. Such a treasure should be conserved and not frittered away through bad land management.

That remains to be seen, but the prospects aren’t good. According to Winston Rhodes, senior community development planner, Brentwood’s population has increased from 7,500 in 1990 to 33,000 today.

In Contra Costa County, harvested crop land has decreased by roughly half from 1982 to 2002, while at the same time the population has grown by about a third.

Ed Meyer, County Agricultural Commissioner for Contra Costa County, said the preservation of the area’s natural state must be deliberate. “It is not going to be saved or maintained by accident,” Meyer said.

Thanks to Rick and Kristie both working 16 hours a day, seven days a week, Knoll Farm deliberately survives. Still, staggering population increases and urbanization are a constant threat, not only to small family farms like Knoll, but to Brentwood’s essential character and history.

Knoll Farm now sells to several Bay Area restaurants: Chez Panisse in Berkeley, Oliveto Café and Restaurant and Dopo Ristorante in Oakland, and many more in San Francisco, including Delfina, Boulevard, Greens, and Rose Pistola.

Produce from Knoll’s farm is also available at the San Francisco Ferry Plaza farmers’ market and Monterey market in Berkeley, and has been featured in the San Francisco Chronicle, Contra Costa Times, the Oakland Tribune, and many local magazines.

“We believe in giving people the best product we possibly can,” Kristie said. “We let our products speak for themselves, and hope that people come back for more.” °

Melissa Kaman is an Oakland-based freelance writer. You can reach her at
melkaman@earthlink.net