Producer

Our 27 acre walnut orchard is located in Witter Springs, Lake County California. When dairy farming was in decline here, the trees were planted in 1960 on what had been a cow pasture. In 1998 my wife and I bought the farm from the family that planted the orchard, and soon converted to organic farming methods. The orchard became Certified Organic in 2006. We grow two varieties of walnuts; mostly Hartley, a California standard for most of the 20th century, but we also have a few Poe trees over a hundred years old that produce a small, more intensly flavored, buttery walnut. The Poe walnut is our "keeper" at home, but is unknow in California outside of Lake County. The tall and deep green, shady trees mimic the woods that covered the valley before farming began here in the late 19th century. The soil is perfectly suited for walnut trees, so we're planting 14 more acres (land that had been a winegrape vineyard!).

Our walnut orchard is certified organic by C.C.O.F. (California Certified Organic Farmers). All of our farming, handling, processing, and packaging practices meet the strict requirements for Organic certification.