People make a big deal about visiting a winery, tasting the fruit of the vines, and enjoying the atmosphere as well as crusty bread and cheese that complement the wines. If you enjoy vineyard tours, you'll love a visit to a central coast California olive farm, where you can experience a variety of fine olive oils produced right on site. As for a wide choice of different tastes, you'll find that, too, in the various Tuscan or Italian style oils.
Descriptions of oils that describe the 'peppery taste' or the 'bold and assertive' flavor may not mean much to those of us used to the imported oils that we find on grocery store shelves. Visiting an olive farm will be the first step in your education. It could also be the highlight of your visit to the west coast.
There are many small, family owned and operated groves in the region. These groves generally have a variety of cultivars (plant varieties), which many authorities say is the best way to grow olives. All work is done by hand, in contrast to the practices of larger, mechanized operations. Hand-harvesting is regarded by many as the best way to produce premium table olives and oil.
When oils are blended, several varieties may be crushed together. Ripe fruit may be mixed with green to get the desired flavor. Artisan growers take as much pride in their groves and oils as fine wine makers do in their grapes and their art.
In California, there is a special seal awarded to oils that have met standards set by the Olive Growers Council, a quality-control organization. Chemical tests are followed by blind tastings by experts trained to detect defects such as rancidity or the presence of impurities. Oils that pass this annual assessment are then given the 'certified extra virgin' seal that is their highest mark of quality. The central region has its own competitions and awards, too.
Olives were introduced to California by Spanish monks, who planted them at the missions they founded. However, by the late 1800s, only two groves remained of those early plantings. In 1900, a California blend won the gold medal as the best oil at the Paris exposition. Most American trees were imported from Italy, but you can find descendants of the mission olives on farms in the central coast area.
Olives can only grow in dry, sunny, hot climates where winters are mild. For this reason, they are often grown along a southern seacoast. They need limestone soils that are well-drained and not too rich, which makes for sickly trees. When they are happy, they live for hundreds if not thousands of years. Fortunately, the Golden State has the 'terroir', or environment, to allow olives to flourish.
If you are intrigued with the idea of subtle nuances (as well as superior health benefits) of oils grown right here in the USA, visit the central coast and see what gourmets all over the world already know: The people of California know their olives. A whole world of health and good taste is awaiting you in the only place in the US that has what this venerable fruit needs.
Descriptions of oils that describe the 'peppery taste' or the 'bold and assertive' flavor may not mean much to those of us used to the imported oils that we find on grocery store shelves. Visiting an olive farm will be the first step in your education. It could also be the highlight of your visit to the west coast.
There are many small, family owned and operated groves in the region. These groves generally have a variety of cultivars (plant varieties), which many authorities say is the best way to grow olives. All work is done by hand, in contrast to the practices of larger, mechanized operations. Hand-harvesting is regarded by many as the best way to produce premium table olives and oil.
When oils are blended, several varieties may be crushed together. Ripe fruit may be mixed with green to get the desired flavor. Artisan growers take as much pride in their groves and oils as fine wine makers do in their grapes and their art.
In California, there is a special seal awarded to oils that have met standards set by the Olive Growers Council, a quality-control organization. Chemical tests are followed by blind tastings by experts trained to detect defects such as rancidity or the presence of impurities. Oils that pass this annual assessment are then given the 'certified extra virgin' seal that is their highest mark of quality. The central region has its own competitions and awards, too.
Olives were introduced to California by Spanish monks, who planted them at the missions they founded. However, by the late 1800s, only two groves remained of those early plantings. In 1900, a California blend won the gold medal as the best oil at the Paris exposition. Most American trees were imported from Italy, but you can find descendants of the mission olives on farms in the central coast area.
Olives can only grow in dry, sunny, hot climates where winters are mild. For this reason, they are often grown along a southern seacoast. They need limestone soils that are well-drained and not too rich, which makes for sickly trees. When they are happy, they live for hundreds if not thousands of years. Fortunately, the Golden State has the 'terroir', or environment, to allow olives to flourish.
If you are intrigued with the idea of subtle nuances (as well as superior health benefits) of oils grown right here in the USA, visit the central coast and see what gourmets all over the world already know: The people of California know their olives. A whole world of health and good taste is awaiting you in the only place in the US that has what this venerable fruit needs.