It was the early 1990s when Nan McEvoy fell for a quiet stretch of rolling hills outside Petaluma, Calif. The 550-acre property had been a dairy farm and it was still zoned for agriculture, which meant she had to grow something. Friends suggested she keep it simple — maybe plant a few trees and leave it at that, but Nan was not a simple-project sort of person.
She had spent her career proving as much. Her grandfather co-founded the San Francisco Chronicle in 1865, and Nan talked her way into a reporting job there at a time when women rarely got one. She worked her way up to Chair of the Board, and when it was time for her to retire, she did what she had always done best: go looking for the next thing worth building. That next thing turned out to be olive oil.
Nan had tasted one she loved in Tuscany and wanted to make it in California. When her son, Nion, gave her a book about olives, the idea took hold for good. Local agricultural officials said the Petaluma soil wasn’t suited to the crop, but an Italian agronomist (an expert in soil management and crop development) felt otherwise, and within three days of her call he was walking her fields. With his guidance, Nan imported olive seedlings from Italy, and by 1995 the ranch had pressed its first oil.
The fruit is milled on-site, often within hours of being picked, because olive oil, unlike wine, doesn’t improve with age. The sooner the olives become oil, the brighter and greener it tastes.
That oil has a lovely way of turning up all over the ranch’s kitchen. It anchors a Black Olive Tapenade brimming with Kalamatas, an Artichoke Lemon Bruschetta brightened by capers and a squeeze of citrus, and a Classic Italian Bruschetta with chunky tomatoes, garlic, and onion that can make a simple piece of toast feel like lunch in the hills.
The same oil even finds its way into body and skin care, too. McEvoy Ranch On-the-Go Lotions blend olive oil with botanical oils for a bright Citrus, a calming Lavender, and the Verde lotion, which smells like a slow walk through the groves on a warm afternoon.
Their care doesn't start with their products, it starts with the land itself. Only about 10% of the ranch is planted, a gentle choice that leaves the rest to its gardens and to the pollinators and wildlife that move through them. The orchards are certified organic, and the soil is fed by compost the ranch makes itself from the byproducts of pressing oil, which keeps waste and water use low.
The bees do their part, too, foraging across the blooms and giving back raw, unfiltered honeys, including a dark, buttery Avocado Blossom touched with molasses, a caramel-hued Orange Blossom that tastes like a California summer, and an earthy Wild Buckwheat. All three honeys are now available to add to your next farm box delivery.
Nion McEvoy took over as owner in 2014, a year before Nan passed away at 95, carrying her vision into its next chapter. He runs the ranch alongside his work as a poet and a drummer in two bands. Nion's three children — Nion Jr., Helen, and Griffin — are now part of the operation and are the third generation to look after the place.
Nan McEvoy was told her trees would never take. She planted a thousand of them anyway. Three decades later, the hills she fell for are still green with them, and every jar of honey and bottle of oil that leaves the ranch carries a little of her spirit along the way. ⚘
How To Add Farm Stand Products to Your Delivery
CSA members: Head on over to our online Farm Stand Market to customize your upcoming delivery. Market is open from noon on Thursday until 6 p.m. on your cutoff date. After you confirm your produce items, click the orange button "Confirm and Continue To Other Farm Products" to add the products to your delivery.
