California Olive Oil News^©
A Publication of The Olive Oil Source  

Olive Oil for Blood Pressure Reduction!

by John Deane M.D.

Greenbrae - Saturated fat diets are associated with higher blood pressure but there have been few good studies on whether the reverse is true; can unsaturated fats lower blood pressure?  And are some unsaturated fats better than others?  The answer is yes according to a well designed study published by researchers from the University of Naples, Italy.  They fed 23 subjects a diet rich either in monosaturated fats (MUFA) (olive oil) or polyunsaturated fats (PUFA) (sunflower oil) for one year.  In their words "the main result of our investigation was a straightforward reduction in antihypertensive tablet consumption when patients were given olive oil, whereas drug consumption was only mildly affected by sunflower oil."  Need for common blood pressure drugs such as atenolol, HCTZ and nifedipine was cut in half  after just 4 months on the olive oil diet whereas drug consumption was only mildly affected by sunflower oil.  Cholesterol and triglyceride levels were also slightly lower while on the olive oil diet.  There are as many as 5 mg of antioxidant polyphenols (absent in sunflower oil) in every 10 grams of olive oil.  Polyphenols have been shown to reduce coronary artery disease and may be the substance lowering blood pressure. Antioxidants reduce nitric acid levels, a substance in the body known to raise blood pressure.  At 26.6% of calories from fat the experimental diet was also low in total fat.  The study was double blinded with neither subjects nor researchers aware of which oil was being used.  Subjects were told to cook with the given oil and men were told to add 40 g (about 4 spoonfuls) and women to add 30 g (about 3 spoonfuls) of oil after cooking.  The study participants experienced no change in weight during the year.  For readers with high blood pressure thinking of doing their own olive oil study: please get the participation of your doctor before changing medication doses.

From the Departments of Clinical and Experimental Medicine (Drs Ferrara, Raimondi, Guida, and Marotta, and Ms d'Episcopo) and Biochemistry and Medical Biotechnologies (Mr Dello Russo), Federico II University of Naples, Naples, Italy.
 
Reprints: L. Aldo Ferrara, MD, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Federico II University of Naples, Via S Pansini 5, 80131, Naples, Italy (e-mail: ferrara@unina.it).

Street drawing from the June 2000 Italian Street festival in San Rafael, CA.

When to Plant

by Bruce Golino

Santa Cruz - "Warm Soil Cool Air" sums up the philosophy of those who believe as I do that fall is the best time for planting olive trees. Planting a tree in early fall after the intense heat of the summer has passed relieves the tree of suffering through a period of high stress that heat can bring on and which often results in setting the tree back and retarding growth. This is also a philosophy shared by my friends in the olive nursery business in Italy. 

As the soil is still relatively warm the roots are stimulated to grow while the foliage part of the plant enjoys the mildness provided by short days and nights not yet cold. Good root development first lets the tree get ready for abundant spring growth. While it is true that a younger tree is more sensitive to extremes of cold, planting in early October gives the tree two months to harden up before the coldest period of the year. Also as much of California is quite mild in winter (more so than much of central and northern Italy) cold is often not the primary consideration of when to plant. If for whatever reason you wish to plant at another time of year, early spring is a good choice. Again, subjecting the tree to as little stress is the objective. Early spring avoids the hard frosts of December and January as well as the extremes of summer. 

Given what seems to have become the real unpredictability of the rainy season in California, drip irrigation is a must no matter when one chooses to plant. By using drip those in the milder areas have had success planting during most of the year. Early fall however remains optimal.  

Bruce runs the Santa Cruz Olive Tree and Oil Company in Watsonville, CA.  He specializes in Tuscan olive trees but has over 40 different varietals.

Street drawing from the June 2000 Italian Street festival in San Rafael, CA.

23 Olive Flies found in Tulare County

by Oliver Spits

23 olive fruit flies were reported found in Tulare County by the Fresno Bee.  The olive fly blemishes olives for canning but will also increase acidity in olive oil made from infested fruit.  Only one fly was trapped last year. Two olive fruit flies are considered an infestation by the CDFA.  Spraying has been approved by the EPA.  Flies have also been found in Reedley, south of Fresno and in Mayfair, south of Bakersfield.  Infestations can trigger quarantines which make it difficult to get olives to canneries and olive presses.  Publicity of the olive fruit fly finds has been eclipsed by news of another pest - the glassy winged sharpshooter.  It is menacing the more lucrative California wine industry.

Following are reprints from Olive Notes, a University of California Cooperative Extension publication

Year 2000 Bloom Observations in Tulare Co.

Full bloom dates compared: In 1999, an extremely "late" year, full bloom occurred 20 May at our Lindcove Field Station grove. In 2000, those same trees were at full bloom 3 May, 17 days earlier.

Quantity and quality: "Spotty at best" is probably the best way to describe this year's bloom. Some groves, especially young ones or those that didn't have much of a crop last year, have a fairly good, uniform bloom. Mature groves and trees that had crops last season have relatively poor bloom this season; walking through such groves one sees "blank" trees, an occasional good blooming tree, and trees where there's bloom but simply not much of it. Bloom on the outsides of those groves is often better than that inside.

Hedged trees: In a number of cases, the one-year-old shoots that have developed on mature trees in response to hedging in '99 are not blooming, regardless of previous crop status. In such cases, hedging was relatively severe resulting 'in vigorous vegetative growth. Often, vigorous one-year-old shoots do not bloom they are in fact still juvenile. Hopefully, once trees are shaped for mechanized harvest, hedging smaller wood will not result in two years of non-cropping.

Hot weather. Unknown effect at this time but temperatures were not extreme which means that trees well irrigated should set fruit normally. Stressed trees will have reduced fruit set.

Olive Notes, Steve Sibbett, editor, a publication of the University of California Cooperative Extension, Tulare County

Olive Notes:
July Is the Time for Leaf Tissue Analyses

Leaf tissue analyses provide excellent information to guide a grove's fertilization program. July and August are good months to take olive leaf samples for analyses of the grove's nutrient status.

The elements of most concern and that require annual monitoring are: nitrogen (N), potassium (K) and boron (B).

NOTE: Always observe your trees carefully to detect visual symptoms of nutrient deficiency or excess. Visual observations provide an excellent complement to any lab analyses and indicate when special analyses are needed.

 Olive Notes, Steve Sibbett, editor, a publication of the University of California Cooperative Extension, Tulare County

Olive Notes: 
 Irrigating Olives - Water Use for Summer and Fall

Irrigation is essential for optimal production of good quality fruit. Dr. Dave Goldhamer's research found, without question, that matching olive tree water use:

1) Provided best shoot growth.
2) Produced the best yield (fruit load x fruit size).
3) Maximized canning size fruit.
4) Maximized per acre income.

Here are historical water use figures you can use for a fully canopied (more than 50% of the ground shaded) olive grove for the remainder of the season.

Note, if less than 50% of the ground is shaded (considered not at full water use), first, calculate the percent of ground shaded (e.g. 30%), second, multiply the percent of ground shaded (converted to a decimal) by 2 (e.g. .3 x 2 = .6), and third, multiply that answer by the water use for the period in the table. That answer is the water use for the period for your orchard.

Olive Notes, Steve Sibbett, editor, a publication of the University of California Cooperative Extension, Tulare County

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Comments from the Internet

Linda asks: I have olive trees in the backyard of my home. This area was once an orchard. We have owned this home for 23 years. This year the olive trees are dropping many, many yellow leaves. The trees have been thinned of dead wood and have forested. Is there anything we can do to make them bushy? 

OOS Replies:  Although olives are an "evergreen" the leaves only live 2 to 3 years. They will turn yellow in the spring and drop. So every spring expect many of the leaves to turn yellow and drop. Now if all the leaves are yellow, that is a different problem. Yellow leaves can mean a trace element deficiency such as manganese, molybdenum, zinc, potassium, boron, iron, etc. According to the University of California "Olive Production Manual", only three mineral nutrient deficiencies have been observed in commercial California olive orchards - nitrogen, potassium and boron. Boron deficiency causes "monkey-faced" olives which are misshapen. Potassium deficiency causes light green leaves with tip burn. Nitrogen deficiency causes small, yellowish leaves. Waterlogged soil will cause poor soil aeration and subsequent root deterioration and yellowing of leaves. Have you had a particularly wet winter? I don't know what area you live in, but I would contact an Agricultural University extension office near you and ask them. The "Olive Production Manual" is a great resource for olive tree problems and is available on this website under the book section.  See also this month's article on leaf analysis.

Dan asks: I make a salad dressing that my wife and I like a lot. However, the recipe requires a lot of olive oil. This makes the dressing to thick and oily. Is there a lighter olive oil I could use to make this recipe less oily? What is the ratio of oil to vinegar in salad dressings. I use 1 cup of oil to two tablespoons of vinegar. By the way, nice web site.

OOS Replies: Some olive oils have a less oily mouth feel. You won't see this characteristic on the label but you could try several different olive oils and see which brand is less "oily" to you. Remember this is just a subjective thing, all olive oil is 100% oil. You may see oils labeled "lite" or "light" but this refers to the flavor not the consistency or caloric content of the oil. Store bought dressing mixes use more water with thickeners which reduces the total amount of oil without making the dressing too thin. You could do the same by adding some water or more vinegar to the dressing. I have seen recipes with up to 50% of the volume vinegar.

Lisa asks:   Instead of Olive Leaf Extract pills can you take 1-3 Tbs. of olive oil instead? 

OOS Replies: Olive leaf extract has much more polyphenols and antioxidants than the oil. These substances are more soluble in water than oil so tend to be more concentrated in the juice that comes from the olive instead of the oil. There are as many as 5 mg of antioxidant polyphenols in every 10 grams (1 spoonful) of olive oil. The leaf extract has these same antioxidants. The same goes for chlorophyll which is more water soluble than oil soluble. 

OOS  asks Homegrown Enterprises:  I'm curious about your Santa Catrina  oil.  Can you describe the oil and let us know what motivated you to grow that olive?

Homegrown Enterprises replies:  Santa Catrina I feel is an exceptional olive for table use.  We were able to eat the olive off of the tree when it was dry on the outside but still purple and watery on the inside and it had no bitterness.  The trees were probably planted about 1850 when Honcut was a stage stop to the gold country.  We will let you know more as we experiment.  I'd be interested to know if anyone else knows of this olive

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California State Fair 2000 August 18th through September 4th Fairgrounds, Sacramento

 
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