Mensam Mundum – World Table: Olive harvest
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – When the chill of autumn visits Lake County, my thoughts turn to the local olive harvest.
You may have seen orchards of gnarled olive trees with their characteristic grey-green leaves as you’ve driven around the county. At this time of year, the trees give up their treasure: a tiny fruit amazingly packed full of flavor and health benefits.
A number of local growers produce their own olive oil, and it’s delicious!
It’s quite possible that olives are the most symbolic fruits the world has ever known. They were not only beloved but considered sacred in many ancient Mediterranean cultures spanning the millennia.
Olive trees, leaves, and fruit have been a symbol of a variety of positive attributes through the ages, including peace, wisdom, glory, fertility, power, purity and abundance.
The olive is one of the plants most cited in literature, found in such places as Homer’s Odyssey, the words of the Roman poet Horace, Greek mythology, the Bible (where it’s mentioned more than 30 times), and the Koran, where there are seven references, including as a “precious fruit.”
Olive trees are known for their longevity, and there are dozens of them in southern Europe and the Middle East that are reputed to be between 2,000 and 4,000 years old. In some cases, scientific studies have confirmed this.
Interestingly, these trees still bear fruit.
Olives in our hemisphere are harvested in the fall and winter, typically beginning in November. Depending on their intended use, they may be harvested prior to ripening as green olives, fully ripe as black olives, or somewhere in between.
There are dozens of olive varieties – more than a hundred – and they vary wildly in terms of size. Color in their ripened state can vary from shades of brown to purple to black.
Olives are among the healthiest foods on the planet and are packed full of nutrients and health-supporting elements such as antioxidants, iron, vitamin E, dietary fiber, copper, and monosaturated fats.
The olive is native to the eastern Mediterranean coastal region, including southeastern Europe, northern Africa, and western Asia. They’re now grown in a variety of places in the world that have a similar climate.
This is true of California, where much of our climate is like that of the Mediterranean region, making it possible for our state to produce nearly 75 percent of the olive oil in the United States.
Lake County shares this olive-friendly climate, and I’m grateful that local olive growers and vintners produce their own oil.
Some years ago, I had the privilege of witnessing the crushing of an olive harvest at what was then the Kelseyville Olive Mill. (Chacewater Winery and Olive Mill now occupies the property.)
Bins full to the top with local olives were brought to the mill to be metamorphosized into rich, golden-green, extra virgin olive oil. The ones that were being processed that day were from the now-closed Ceago del Lago property in Nice.
I was struck by the sheer beauty of those little fruits, arrayed like colorful jewels in their containers as they awaited processing through the sorting mechanisms to ready them for the press.
And then, finally, the reward: lush, succulent, glimmering drops of Lake County olive oil dribbled from the press, ready for bottling.
But why use olive oil?
First and foremost, there are positive health benefits.
Studies have shown that monounsaturated fats such as olive oil are linked with a reduction in the risk of coronary heart disease. Olive oil has been shown to be effective in lowering cholesterol and blood sugar levels, as well as having a positive effect on high blood pressure. It contains vitamin E and carotenoids, powerful antioxidants that protect our cells from damage.
Secondly, it tastes good!
A simple piece of bread is transformed when dipped into it, greens benefit from its drizzle, and its flavor delights our taste buds in pesto and Caprese salad. It’s quite versatile in the kitchen when used as a substitute for other fats.
And why should one seek out and buy local olive oil?
Aside from supporting our county’s industry and lowering the carbon footprint of the foods we eat, there are other benefits.
For one, the oil is fresher. Because local growers make smaller batches, it’s sure to be fresher than oil transported across miles of ocean or state highways.
Another reason is the taste. Local olive oils are lovingly handcrafted with this in mind. In some cases, such as at local farmers’ markets or winery tasting rooms, it’s possible to taste before you purchase.
Like wine, not all olive oils go with all dishes, and you may be partial to one oil’s taste over another. Flavors vary depending on the type of olive pressed, and some are stronger than others.
There are seemingly endless varieties of olives; some are as tiny as a fingernail, others are as large as a plum, and varying types are grown in Lake County.
The blend of olive varieties, as well as the ratio of ripe to green olives, contributes to each oil’s unique taste. It can be said that the complexity of producing a fine olive oil is akin to producing a fine wine, minus the aging process.
As with wine, there’s a special language to describe the properties of olive oil. Peppery, fruity, and grassy are just a few of the descriptive adjectives thrown around at a tasting.
A third reason to purchase local oils is that you can be assured of the quality.
While the European Union has stringent guidelines for what’s sold on that continent (and the California Olive Oil Council has a voluntary certification process for extra virgin olive oil), there is no such safeguard for olive oil marketed in the U. S. Hence, almost anything can be called “extra virgin” and sold here.
Unfortunately, there have been numerous documented cases where imported oils have been falsely labeled as extra virgin olive oil.
In contrast, local growers produce ONLY oil that comes from virgin oil production and can truly be called “extra virgin.”
Lake County olive oil producers include Chacewater Winery and Olive Mill of Kelseyville, home to one of the only olive presses in the area. In addition to pressing their own certified organic olives, they process olives for other local growers. Their oils, some of which have earned medals, are available via their website or at their tasting room.
Loasa Farms, also in Kelseyville, is the olive oil-producing arm of Dorn Vineyards. Their oil can be purchased at the Lake County Farmers Finest market, which is held year-round on Saturdays at the fairgrounds in Lakeport.
Rosa d’Oro Vineyards, makers of Italian varietal wines, produces a Tuscan blend olive oil available on their website or at their tasting room located at their Kelseyville vineyard. The folks at Rosa d’Oro Vineyards were instrumental in creating the Kelseyville Olive Festival, now a yearly tradition.
Olivopolis, an olive ranch in Jerusalem Valley north of Middletown, has a Tuscan blend oil available at a couple of venues in Lake County: the Laujor Estate Winery near Kelseyville and Hardester’s Markets in Middletown or Hidden Valley Lake. Their Tuscan blend and a new single varietal oil may also be purchased on their website.
Villa Barone Olive Orchard, also in Jerusalem Valley and with their own olive press, has produced a lot of Lake County olive oil; however, according to their website, they will soon stop selling due to retirement plans. For now, it can be purchased at Hardester’s Markets in Middletown and Hidden Valley Lake, as well as through Lake County Organics Plus, a local organic food delivery service.
They will continue to fill orders through their website while supplies last, and once management of their orchard has been worked out post-retirement, oils from their trees may be available again in the future.
I was happy to learn that another Lake County olive oil may be on the horizon. Stonehouse Cellars of Clearlake Oaks plans to bottle oil from their 2020 olive harvest, their first. Depending on availability, it should be sold at the Lake County Farmers Finest market in Lakeport.
For longest shelf life, olive oil should be in dark bottles as clear glass allows light to deteriorate the oil. Be sure not to use oil that has a rancid smell. Store your olive oil in a cool, dark place.
Once opened, I store mine in the refrigerator to guarantee freshness, though this is not necessary if you go through your opened bottle in a reasonable amount of time. If stored in the fridge, it will solidify, so I place the bottle in a bowl of warm water for a few minutes to liquefy the oil for use.
Today’s recipe is for a simple mixed olive tapenade, which is especially delightful when made with a flavorful local oil. Served as an appetizer or as an addition to a light meal, tapenade is typically paired with little bread toasts known as crostini in Italian or crouton in French. Directions for making these little toasts are also below. Enjoy!
Tapenade
1 cup high-quality black and green olives, any combination (have fun choosing them at an olive bar!)
1 tablespoon capers
2 cloves garlic
2 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon lemon juice
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Coarsely chop all ingredients in a food processor fitted with a steel blade. (Be careful not to over-process, as tapenade should not be smooth.) If stored in a tightly covered container, tapenade should keep for up to a month in the fridge. Add some extra virgin olive oil to moisten it when needed before serving. Serve on crackers or little toasts (recipe below). If desired, spread toasts first with cream cheese or goat cheese before topping with tapenade.
To make the little toasts, slice a baguette and brush each piece with olive oil. Toast the slices on a baking sheet in a 400-degree oven for several minutes until the outside is brown and toasty and the inside is soft. (You can test this by pressing lightly with your finger.) For an added treat, rub a fresh garlic clove lightly over the pieces.
Recipes by Esther Oertel.
Esther Oertel is a writer and passionate home cook from a family of chefs. She grew up in a restaurant, where she began creating recipes from a young age. She’s taught culinary classes in a variety of venues in Lake County and previously wrote “The Veggie Girl” column for Lake County News. Most recently she’s taught culinary classes at Sur La Table in Santa Rosa. She lives in Middletown.