California Olive Oil
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Volume 1 Issue 3 |
Aug 1998 |
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Olive growers unsure how this year's crop will turn out June 11, 1998--Food & Farm News, Calif. Farm Bureau Growers say olive trees bear more fruit after a light production year ... and for San Joaquin Valley orchards, this should have been that heavier year. But cool, damp weather hampered bloom and pollination last month. Olive growers say the delayed crop development has hampered the usual fruit-thinning process, which they say is needed to improve crop quality. The bloom appears heavy in most Manzanillo olive groves in Tulare County. Heavy bloom poses the potential for very heavy crops, resulting in small fruit size, late maturity, and a light crop in '99. Pruning and/or spray thinning should be strongly considered to modify crop size this season. Olive Notes, Steve Sibbett, editor, a publication of the University of California Cooperative Extension, Tulare County California Friday, July 17, 1998
July 26, 1998 (Sunday) August 15, 16 August - pending November 1999 February 8th International Oleum - Jaen, Spain December 1998 |
Questions and Answers from the Internet: Dr.Serap Acikgoz in Turkey writes on 7/5/998: Please send me information about olive viruses and certification programs. Olive Oil Source replies: You can find a wealth of information through the University of California web site at http://pom44.ucdavis.edu/olive2.html. on olive pests. As far as certification, that is being done in California by the California Olive Oil Council (see Associations) Jorge Lyon writes on 7/4/98: I am looking for flavored Olive oil, can you help me? US replies: Aeolia sells several flavored oils. O Olive oil has an excellent Tahitian Lime, Meyer Lemon and blood orange. Jamestown olive oil has a lemon oil, garlic oil and an excellent dipping oil which has several spices, you can order these via the Olive Oil Source on-line. The above are all California oils. Flavored oil must be made with care to have a reasonable shelf life and safety. You can make an infused oil by mixing oil with herbs but be careful to use these mixtures immediately to avoid accidental poisoning from the growth of unwanted bacteria. I regularly use a garlic oil for cooking and flavored dipping oils for entertaining. Some of the better flavored oils are made by pressing the olives and the flavoring agent, such as lemons, at the same time. Jim Papanikolaw, Editor Chemical Market Reporter writes 7/8/98 How has overall demand been for this product?US replies: Demand for olive oil currently far outstrips supply. Recent medical studies show the benefit of monosaturated fats and many food enthusiasts are discovering the advantages of cooking with olive oil. The immense popularity of olive oil has lead to more being sold than produced on a regular basis. Are there other applications for olive oil besides cooking? OOS replies: Olive oil is used in some specialty soaps. It is usually oil from inferior olives or oil extracted from the fibrous material left after pressing. Have supplies been able to keep up with demand? If not, why? OOS replies: It seems that the biggest factor is labor costs. Olive trees require hand planting, pruning, picking and sorting. Olive growing is a cottage business in many parts of Spain, Italy and North Africa. Young people in the small villages where olives are grown leave for the big cities or prefer not to perform the hard physical labor required by olives. Land used for olive production is also being put to more profitable uses in these countries. Other vegetable oils such as corn, safflower, etc. are mechanically planted, harvested and extracted at much lower cost and have a longer shelf life. Has weather been a factor? OOS replies: Weather is a factor with any crop but bad weather in one growing region is often cancelled out by good weather in another. The jury is still out on how El Nino will affect us here in California. How have prices been trending? OOS replies: Upward How do the future supply, demand and price trends appear to be shaping up? OOS replies: California growers are betting big money that demand will stay ahead of supply and that prices will stay up. Thousands of olive trees are being planted which won't come into production for many years. California orchards produce premium oils which command premium prices. Premium oils are in their own niche and don't always follow the prices of bulk oils made in other parts of the world. Its a good bet that with many orchards succumbing to condos or other crops in many parts of the world and with rising demand, prices will stay high. Look at the links section of the Olive Oil Source for information at the University of California and under associations for the International Olive Oil Council. http://www.imf.org/external/np/sec/decdo/iooc.htm Ibrahim Brown writes on June 29: I actually have a question instead of a comment. What is the difference between regular olive oil and olive pomace oil? I have been trying to get an answer to this question for a long time. Thanks ! OOS replies: Pomace is the ground flesh and pits after pressing. Any oil that hasn't been removed by pressure can then be extracted using steam and solvents. This is pomace oil. It is considered an inferior grade, but may actually qualify as extra virgin if the acidity is lowered enough by chemical processing. Donald C. Abbott writes on June 30 How does it work...The more virgin the olive oil the less taste of olive or the opposite? OOS replies: Virgin has more to do with acidity than flavor, so a chemically refined oil may be extra virgin but tasteless. Cold press or first press usually means more flavor. flavor also depends on olive variety, growing conditions, time of picking, pressing method, etc. Copyright © 1997 [The Olive Oil Source]. All
rights reserved.
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