July HIghlights: Closing in on the Book Submission Deadline

We are both happy and frenetic in our efforts to submit our final manuscript to The Royal Society of Chemistry for "The Chemical Story of Olive Oil: From Grove to Table" by July 31.

In an attempt to fill the giant gap in our knowledge about California olive oil producers and meet the good people at the UC Davis Olive Oil Center, we spent 14 days in June taking the Olive Center's Sensory Analysis Course and visiting a random sampling of 10 different groves and producers from the Mega producers such as California Olive Ranch and boutique producers such as Grumpy Goats and everything in between.

Reproduced below to whet your whistle:  The book cover for our soon to be released masterpiece, by the way, Rich took the cover art photograph in Turkey.  Let us know if you want to get an alert when the book is available.

World Olive Press in the News....

Followers of this blog may be happy to see that a summary of our sabbatical project on olive oil has been published yesterday (1/21) in the Keene State College online magazine.  You are welcome to take a look:
http://www.keene.edu/news/stories/detail/1452716284347/

Where can I buy olive oil I trust?

We've had a lot of friends write to ask us about sources for olive oil that is authentic and not rancid.  The 60 minutes expose of fraud in the industry that aired Sunday night (1/3/16) certainly has consumers worried.  http://www.cbsnews.com/news/60-minutes-overtime-how-to-buy-olive-oil/

I've copied here a response to one friend that might be useful to others who want to know more:

"Yes, it is true that bad, leftover, rancid and leftover oil from the Mediterranean is often dumped in the US where it is thought consumers won’t know any better.

Here is a website from Tom Mueller, author of Extra Virginity,  that documents the best and worst of oils available in the US.  I trust Tom. http://extravirginity.com/2012/09/toms-supermarket-picks-quality-oils-good-prices "

Issue 14: Australia: A Frontier Continent with Big Olive Aspirations

We were lucky enough to visit four olive growing regions in Australia right in the middle of their olive harvest.  Traveling from Melbourne in the South to Adelaide and across the great agricultural belt of New South Wales to Canberra and Sydney, we had plenty of time in the car driving what we estimated to be about 2000 km to figure out what it was about Australia that felt so familiar.  The small farming towns, the resourcefulness of the growers, the sheer scale of production, and the fearlessness harkened back to what we have come to know as the Pioneering Spirit that helped settle the American plains.  It took us no time to discover what was unfamiliar – kangaroos as playful and productive as to make them a hazard when driving at night, adorable koalas whose 20 hour a day sleep we envied, and a people who dare to dream big.  Come along with us....

Issue 13: An Olive and Kiwi Medley in New Zealand

When visiting olive growers in the southern hemisphere, a frequent topic raised is the competitiveness of local olive oil products at home and abroad.  Local consumers, despite evidence to the contrary, sometimes believe that imported olive oils are better.  Price points for imported oils are usually lower than domestic oil due to government subsidies provided to olive growers elsewhere.  Olives New Zealand has sought to highlight the quality of local oil by establishing a voluntary accreditation program in which growers submit their oil for rigorous analysis. Standards are more stringent than the IOC standards (< 0.5% FFA and < 15 mEq peroxide as compared to IOC standards of < 0.8% FFA and < 20 mEq peroxide).  Domestic oils that pass these tests bear a sticker that should reassure buyers of the quality of the oil.   This encouraging initiative stands in contrast to the disappointing rejection of a move to adopt national standards for both domestic and imported oil.  It may be awhile before the industry gets help from the government.  Check it out here. 

Issue 12: Riebeek Valley Olive Festival

In this beautiful valley that announces itself as Shiraz Country on roadside billboards, olives reign supreme for at least one weekend of the year. The 100 km drive from Stellenbosch to the twin cities of Riebeek Kasteel and Riebeek West took us through bronzing vineyards, plowed fields of caramel and crème, and a gentle mountain pass framed by blue skies. We joined thousands of others, parked our cars and dove into a full day of celebrating olives as the featured guests with food and music (and wine) as the delightful attendants.  Seven sites served as the primary hosts, but dozens of other venues tempted festival goers to sample their wares, take a load off their feet, or enjoy local crafts and creations.  Transportation between sites could be accomplished by walking, shuttle taxis and  hay wagons, or in the back of a local’s pick-up truck.  A large number of 3 and 4 generation families came out to enjoy the spectacular fall weather together and be happy.  South African hospitality was front and center.   Read about it all here.  

Issue 11: Mountain Valleys in South Eastern Part Western Cape

The soul of this stretch of land a day’s drive east from Capetown seems a curious mix of rough plains with mountain backdrops of unbelievable beauty, pioneering outposts with a spirit of independence, and designer art studios whose isolation from the city allowed creativity to flourish.  In regions, one sees endless rows of olive trees stretched into the distance. One can also see acres and acres of deserted fields that once housed a booming ostrich industry that collapsed with the onset of the bird flu epidemic and the evaporation of foreign markets.  Poverty coexists with breathtaking beauty of the Swartberg Pass and the Karoo Caves.  Our host for the weekend in the Oudtshorn, Rob Still, fell in love with this land during his basic training here for the South African army many, many, years earlier.  He was able to take advantage of his vow to return and had made his dream a reality by purchasing farmland in 2005 and planting 125 hectares of olive trees.  This land that may be a bit off the map, but it produces some of the best olive oil in South Africa.  Come with us for a quick journey.