McFadden Farm grows and sells a wide variety of speciality foods: garlic woven into handsome braids, bay leaves gathered into beautiful wreaths, rare wild rice, fragrant organic culinary herbs and herb blends ...
A feast for the senses and the soul. In Northern California, Potter Valley lies on the edge of the Mendocino National Forest and by the headwaters of the Russian River. A wide range of native and cultivated plants thrive in its rich, deep soils.

Head north of San Francisco, 120 miles or so, through Mendocino County. Take a right out of the fast lane, then a left into another world: The rolling green expanse of Potter Valley. Tucked away at the north end of the valley, nestled against the headwaters of the Russian River, is McFadden Farm.

It's a quiet, pastoral place ... far from the bustling city and roaring highway. A country lane winds past the vineyard, past the herb garden, barns and pond, over the covered bridge, up the hill to the McFadden home.

Born and raised in New York City, Guinness McFadden came to this peaceful place in 1970. After Notre Dame, ten years as a Naval officer, and a stint at Stanford Business School, he decided against a future in pin-striped suits and city offices to seek out a new living in the country. He found that and more. The McFadden family settled in to a life of hard work and enviable happiness on this special piece of ground.

As he learned the ropes of farming, Guinness became convinced that he didn't need, or want, the chemical pesticides and herbicides so common in modern agriculture. He pursued more natural farming methods, joined the California Certified Organic Farmers, and kept his small farm in tune with nature, a safe place for the family and its crops.