CULTIVATION
After growing our young olive trees in a greenhouse for protection through two winters, we planted them out in May 2021 on a north-east facing slope. We have 640 trees, a mixture of two Italian varieties, Taggiasca and Maurino, and two Spanish varieties, Picual and Arbequina. They were certified organic in June 2024.
Our trees yielded 940 lbs of olives in October 2023 and 2,120 lbs in October 2024.
HARVESTING AND MILLING
We pick the olives by hand in the mornings and mill them in the afternoons. Our mill is a state-of-the-art Italian Mori-Tem Frantoino Bio machine. The oil goes into stainless steel holding tanks and the pomace – the remaining olive waste, made up of the crushed fruit and pits – goes back into the olive grove as mulch. We bottle and label the oil in November after racking off any sediment.
TECHNICAL
Tests by Modern Olives Laboratory in California, both chemical and sensory (a sensory test is a tasting evaluation done by experts), had outstanding results. We far exceeded International Olive Council requirements for our oil to be classified as extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) and easily exceeded the new ‘Ultra Premium’ standard, used to distinguish the highest quality EVOOs in the world.
USE & STORAGE
Use as a finishing oil on your favorite foods, add to a smoothie, or drink a tablespoon a day for your good health. Not for cooking.
Light, oxygen and heat will spoil your oil. Store in a cool, dark place and always keep the lid screwed on tight. Use within four weeks of opening and no later than two years after harvest date.
FRUITINESS in olive oil denotes flavor and aroma. We pick our olives when they are green, making the oils highly aromatic, with tasting notes of freshly cut grass, green tomato and almond.
BITTERNESS in olive oil sounds bad but it is good. A more pronounced bitterness indicates freshness and a healthy level of biophenols. Bitterness is balanced by fruitiness.
PUNGENCY is best described as the peppery ‘kick’ you get at the back of your throat when you taste the olive oil. Pungency is directly related to the biophenol level in the oil.
FREE FATTY ACID (FFA) is an indication of the quality of olives at time of harvesting and milling. The lower, the better the oil. Higher levels of FFA may indicate poor quality or mishandled fruit, too much time between harvesting and milling, poor storage or high temperature during milling.
PEROXIDE VALUE is a measure of oxidation. The lower, the better the oil. Higher levels indicate oxidized and/or poor-quality oil and give an idea of freshness and storage conditions.
BIOPHENOLS are a class of antioxidants connected to desirable flavor characteristics and that contribute to the many health benefits of consuming high quality EVOO, whose antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties contribute to better heart health and offer protection against a wide range of health problems. The higher, the greater the intensity of the taste and the effectiveness of the health benefits.
2024 TAGGIASCA-MAURINO + PICUAL-ARBEQUINA BLEND
$20 EACH, 5% DISCOUNT FOR 3, 10%
DISCOUNT FOR 6, 15% DISCOUNT FOR 9,
20% DISCOUNT FOR 12
2024 PICUAL-ARBEQUINA BLEND
