Olive Links of the Week: December 4 through December 10, 2011

 Olives and Olive Oil in General  2 Responses »
Dec 112011
 

Every day I read lots of material about the olive, some from books and others from the internet. Each week I share with you the articles, recipes, research documents, and other information I find on the internet. Most of it is very interesting and some of it inspires me to write an article or two of my own. None of these links are in any way my opinion or are endorsed by me. I am sharing.

Olive Links of the Week

Edible gifts can satisfy every taste
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
For those of you who buy gifts for people who love to eat.

Locally Sourced Jordanian Olive Oil Factory Tour at Terra Rossa
Jen Maan in Amman blog
Jen visits a Jordanian olive oil processing facility. She has lots of great photos.

Boost your ‘good fats’ to help fend off diabetes
MSNBC
More on MUFAs and diabetes.

Sovena USA First Ever Lab to be Certified by International Olive Council in United States
PR Newswire
Largest US olive oil importers gets their lab certified by the International Olive Council.

Namibia: Local Olive Oil Takes Market By Storm
All Africa
Swakop River Olives entrepreneurs Eddie Angula and Wim van der Plaas are growing trees along Namibia’s Swakop river. Of interest is that they grew them from seeds purchased from South Africa. I don’t often hear of olive trees grown from seed.

VN Dalmia Offers an Olive Oil Reality Check
Olive Oil Times
India is marketing olive pomace oil to the Indian marketplace. If that is what the market demands then that’s okay. The key is truth in advertising.

Olive oils can prevent infantile diseases
Teatro Naturale International
According to many physicians and scientists, such as the pediatrician and neonatologist Giuseppe Caramia, extra virgin olive oils are important ingredients of preventive medicine.

Attack on olive oil consumption in Denmark
Teatro Naturale International
Denmark has a problem with obesity and is instituting a 7.1 % tax on each liter of olive oil. Is this ignorance or maybe a powerful dairy lobby?

Canton business offers imported oils, vinegars, gourmet foods
Watertown Daily News
Josie’s Little Pizzeria and Josie’s Olive Oil Company are selling California olive oils in Canton, New York.

Slick accents welcome on Oenotri’s dinner plate
Napa Valley Register
Oenotri’s restaurant in Napa has fresh extra virgin olive oils on the menu.

New Olive Pilot Crop Insurance Program Approved for Selected Counties in California
Insurance News Net
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Risk Management Agency (RMA) announces a new a pilot insurance program for table and oil olives in 12 California counties, beginning with the 2012 crop year. The sales closing date is January 31, 2012.

China could be strong S.J. farm market
Recordnet.com
Chinese delegation visits Lodi, California. China’s burgeoning economy and rapidly expanding middle class hold great potential for sales of premium San Joaquin County products – including wine, cherries, tree nuts and olive oil.

Critical Information for Olive Oil Decision Makers
The Olive Oil Times
The Culinary Institute of America at Greystone in California’s Napa Valley will host a seminar on January 12th for industry professionals. They will receive the information needed to protect themselves and their customers by learning.what constitutes quality olive oil.

Banks squeeze oil industry
Weekly Times Now
Australian banks unwilling to make loans to olive oil producers. Dumping is to blame.

Olive oil producers feel price pain
Weekly Times Now
Lisa Rowntree of the Australian Olive Association weighs in on olive oil price wars.

Olive Oil’s Growers, Chemists, Cooks and Crooks
The New York Times Books section
A review of Tom Mueller’s olive oil industry expose, Extra Virginity: The Sublime and Scandalous World of Olive Oil

Chosen Bites: A hearty dish!
The Jerusalem Post
Recipes for Sautéed Butternut Squash, Kale with Pasta and Mushrooms and Turkey Meatballs.

Dining Out review: Schnitz Ada Grill offers good value, good food
Mlive.com
A review of the Schnitz Ada Grill in downtown Ada, Michigan.

May the sun shine through your branches.

www.olivecrazy.com

Olive Links of the Week: October 30 through November 5, 2011

 Olives and Olive Oil in General  Comments Off
Nov 062011
 

Every day I read lots of material about the olive, some from books and others from the internet. Each week I share with you the articles, recipes, research documents, and other information I find on the internet. Most of it is very interesting and some of it inspires me to write an article or two of my own. None of these links are in any way my opinion or are endorsed by me. I am sharing.

Olive Links of the Week

Artisans: The flavours of Italy in our backyard
New Zealand Herald
The Chinnerys of Mangawhai, NZ are featured along with their award winning Divinity extra virgin olive oil.

Thurman: Specialty food scene gets a shot of spice
Argus Leader
Sandra Reynolds opens the Olive Destination in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

Aussie Standard Wrapped, Paul Miller Pitches New World Olive Oil Quality ‘Alliance’
The Olive Oil Times
Paul Miller of the Australian Olive Association is featured.

Gong for Cradle Coast Olives
Weekly Times Now
Tasmania’s Cradle Coast Olives wins Australian Olive Association competition, Best in Show.

Recipe: Carrots, vinegar, evoo, honey & cumin
Cookteaser Blog
This is an adaptation of a Mario Batali recipe.

“Franken-Lime” Persian Lime EVOO Cupcakes & Your Chance To Win!
Devo Olive Oil Co.
Ignore the Halloween stuff, I like this recipe.

“The Crushed Olive” Opens in Stony Brook Village
News LI
Stony Brook on Long Island is host to the newly opened The Crushed Olive.

Phoenix chef honors locally produced food
AZ Central
Chef Dustin Christofolo is a disciple of the farm to table movement.

Gruppo Pieralisi Powers World’s Largest Olive Oil Mill in Jaén
The Olive Oil Times
This is one huge mill. I also like this article because I can’t resist the usual cast of crusty old European men, who if it weren’t for the cigars and grappa would look their ages – 38. The Padres are there too. Amen.

Harvest Festivals Part 1 | Three Picks From the Season of Plenty
Just Luxe Affluent Lifestyle Guide
Three upcoming harvest festivals. I think the non-luxe crowd is invited too.

Record entries to gourmet oil competition
Voxy
New Zealand Gourmet Oil Competition just completed it’s eighth competition.

California Olive Ranch Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Cooking with Amy Blog
Amy visit the California Olive Ranch.

Bumper olive crop expected in Syria
All Headline News
Syria’s bumper crop of olives may be hampered by ongoing unrest and the Eid al-Adha holiday.

Milk wars claim first casualty
Sydney Morning Herald
Price wars are coming for many products, olive oil included.

‘No room to cut olive oil prices’
Ynet News
Taxes, subsidies, and price wars in Israel. It’s everywhere folks.

Love Me Tender: Church View’s new range of English Angus Beef
Foodepedia
The British food bandwagon – it’s all about rapeseed now, not olive oil.

Olive oil exports up in Almeria
Euro Weekly News
And where is this olive oil headed – to Switzerland.

Olive war pits settlers against farmers
The Montreal Gazette
The UN says 7,500 trees have been damaged so far this year in Palestine.

Olive yield down but farmers look to next year’s harvest
The Daily Star Lebanon
Two week harvesting delay caused up to 50% decrease in crop yield some Lebanese farmers say.

Master Gardener: Olive fruit fly can decimate an olive crop
Mercury News
This is no doubt a question from a non-farmer. This worries me since the olive fruit fly moves fast and will destroy California olive crops. It is incredibly expensive to treat non-commercial trees.

A Perspective on Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Premium Quality: California olive oils
A report from Liliana Scarafia at Agbiolab. Very interesting.

May the sun shine through your branches.

www.olivecrazy.com

My Opinion: Old vs. New and Packaging

 Cooking & Eating, My Opinion, Olives and Olive Oil in General  Comments Off
Nov 012011
 

The argument of old versus new always seems to gin up emotions and opposition. Whether it’s olive varieties and growing techniques, olive oil packaging, or membership in the Old World Club (aka International Olive Council/IOC) passions are inflamed. Inflamed or not, the world is changing and so are the olive and olive oil industries. Here are a few observations about packaging and my freely proffered opinions.

If you do or don’t like what I have to say about olive oil packaging, give me an intelligent argument and not an outburst. Discussions about olive oil packaging can get heated.  There is the clear glass vs. dark glass debate; the glass vs. plastic debate; the decant vs. keep it in original container debate; and now thanks to two innovative companies, one in South Africa and one in Australia there are some new packaging debates to enliven your future. Let’s explore them.

This past June I read an article by South African journalist, food and wine critic, and sausage entrepreneur, Peter James-Smith. It was entitled Pink Sauce but toward the end of the article he mentioned a new type of olive oil bottle created for and used by the South African olive oil producers at Willow Creek. Peter and I emailed a bit and he sent me the press release about Willow Creek’s award winning olive oil squirt bottle and then I settled in for a think about the bottle’s virtues or weaknesses.

In the meantime, I received a comment from an incredulous Olive Crazy reader accusing me of the atrocity of supporting the squirt bottle, even though I had merely stated that it existed. However, now ye of little inventiveness and foresight, bring it on. I officially have decided that I like the squirt bottle. MAIS NON!

I have a tendency, just like a lot of folks, to go with the tried and true and ignore the virtues of the new, but I’ve decided to stop giving in to the intellectual laziness of succumbing to tradition in an industry that is again vibrant and new. So squirt bottle, I am venturing into newness by liking you and bowing to the end of the dribbling and puddling in my kitchen each time I drizzle or pour my favorite extra virgin olive oil. I also like that your bottle is dark and even though it is plastic, it doesn’t have the nasties that some plastic bottles contain. Thumbs up.

Now for the second, new, olive oil packaging, there is the Barossa Olive Oil Company’s Ollo Extra Virgin Olive Oil in an airtight, collapsible-bladder, food-service packaging. For the folks in a commercial kitchen instead of big tin cans that are difficult to completely empty, this seems like an improvement.

I also read about the Ollo packaging, in retail form, on Australian scientist, Richard Gawel’s blog, Slick Extra Virgin. I haven’t seen it available in stores in the Atlanta area, but that doesn’t mean isn’t available somewhere on the continent. You must read his comments on the packaging. I couldn’t have said it better.

Whether it’s packaging or anything else about the olive and olive oil industries these days, you can be sure controversy isn’t far behind and I look forward to fanning the flames.

May the sun shine through your branches.

www.olivecrazy.com

Olive Links of the Week: October 23 through October 29, 2011

 Olives and Olive Oil in General  1 Response »
Oct 302011
 

Every day I read lots of material about the olive, some from books and others from the internet. Each week I share with you the articles, recipes, research documents, and other information I find on the internet. Most of it is very interesting and some of it inspires me to write an article or two of my own. None of these links are in any way my opinion or are endorsed by me. I am sharing.

Olive Links of the Week

Savoring Tuscany
EVOO Cannon Beach
A segment from Oregon’s EVOO Cannon Beach Cooking School’s blog by Bob Neroni. Bob and partner, Lenore Emery, have an interesting website and I enjoy Bob’s blog.

Olive Oil Industry Groups Reject Proposals for CAP Reform
The Olive Oil Times
Out of this article the following statement is what interested me most, maybe it’s because I’m a lobbyist. “Andalusia’s Minister for Agriculture and Fishing, Clara Aguilera, announced last week she hoped to form a lobby group of the main EU olive oil producers – France, Italy, Portugal, Greece and Spain – to jointly defend the sector’s interests.”

Israel gifts pope with olive tree
JTA news service
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is giving a 200 year old olive tree to Pope Benedict XVI. I wonder where he will plant it.

My Three Favorite Appetizers, I Think
6th Floor Blogs from the NY Times
All good things go with olive oil.

California Olive Oil: The New Gold Rush?
Neon Tommy
Another spin on California olive oils vs. European.

Farm-fresh chicken without the hassle, mess of DIY (Chili Rubbed Chicken Recipe)
Coloradoan
This recipe has a delicious south-west flavor.

Grapevine: More than just an olive branch
The Jerusalem Post
This article has the answer to where the Pope is going to put his new old olive tree.

Olive industry attacks Coles and Woolworths over labelling
ABC Rural News (Australia)
Naughty – naughty, Coles and Woolworths aren’t following new Australian olive oil labelling rules.

U.S. Customs finds olive fruit flies in San Diego
North County Times
California olive crop is again battling olive fruit fly. A Lebanese traveller was caught by US Customs with olives infested with the fly.

Test kitchen bonus: A trio of flavorful stone crab recipes
The Orlando Sentinel
Some great crab recipes from the Sentinel’s Test Kitchen.

Cookbook: Olive Oil for Life
Santa Barbara Independent
Global Gardens Owner, Theo Stephan, Releases New Cookbook.

End of the road for Colavita/Forno D’Asolo
Pro Cycling News
Colavita has pulled it’s support for the US International Cycling Union (UCI) Colavita/Forno D’Asolo Women’s Professional Cycling Team. Why the women’s team? Colavita allegedly lost supplier support for the venture. The rest of the “why” I don’t know.

Egg for beauty
Arab Times
An easy and great feeling egg and olive oil facial treatment. It really does work.

Sweet on olive oil? Bake cakes with this healthy ingredient
Courier-Journal
Four delicious recipes are in this article: Chocolate olive cupcakes, berry compote, lemon olive oil cake, and orange olive oil cake.

Oliana Premium Olive Oils and Vinegars
A website from a store in West Hollywood, California that I thought might be interesting to peruse.

Flos Olei Guide Awards Sicily’s Titone Best Extra Virgin Olive Oil of the Year
The Olive Oil Times
Azienda Agricola Biologica Titone was awarded Best Extra Virgin Olive Oil of the Year. Founded in 1936, the Titone family’s farm in Sicily grows Cerasuola, Nocellara del Belice and Biancolilla cultivars on 4,900 trees to produce about 4,000 liters of organic extra virgin.

Restaurant review: Al Cavaliere in Clifton, New Jersey
North Jersey.com
Hot bread and extra virgin olive oil for starters – yum.

Food+Wine
The Sydney Morning Herald Traveller section
Descriptions of some really nice places to get away.

Gino Venitucci knows how to make money in growing olive trees
Dayton section of Your Houston News
Mr. Venitucci is an optimist despite the plight of the farmer.

The Chef’s Olive Mix will bring quality olive oil to Sacramento, owner says
Sacramento Press
Fresh olive oils are coming for you to taste and buy in old Sacramento.

May the sun shine through your branches.

www.olivecrazy.com

Olive Links of the Week: October 2 through October 8, 2011

 Olives and Olive Oil in General  Comments Off
Oct 092011
 

Every day I read lots of material about the olive, some from books and others from the internet. Each week I share with you the articles, recipes, research documents, and other information I find on the internet. Most of it is very interesting and some of it inspires me to write an article or two of my own. None of these links are in any way my opinion or are endorsed by me. I am sharing.

Olive Links of the Week

From the Macarthur Chronicle in Australia “All about olives at Silverdale farm“.

“From the Farm: Recipes for Garlic” delicious garlic recipes in the Catonsville Patch.

An article from the Tehran Times entitled “Olive oil heart health benefits“.

Know what to eat, from The Olive Press – “Olive Oil Included in Harvard’s New Healthy Eating Plate“.

From the Sacramento Bee “Running to Fair Trade: A Taste of Palestine“, an ultra-marathon event.

Make your arugula salad more tasty and healthy too. From The Coronado Patch “Arugula: The Versatile Green“.

“How to Make Your Own Moisturizer Scrub Using EVOO” from the website At Home Cure for Acne.

From The Olive Press “Four Things You Should Never Do with Your Olive Oil“. These are four big no-no’s.

Congress and President mess with the US olive industry – again! From RecorderOnline.com “Olive growers decry foreign subsidies“.

Here is a useful website – National Association for the Specialty Food Trade. It is full of interesting articles and data.

From Andalusia-travel.com it’s “Olive harvest season in Spain“.

From Babble.com’s The Family Kitchen another great recipe entitled “Creamy Pumpkin Roasted Potato Salad“.

“Andalusia Fines 17 Producers €2,500 for Inferior Olive Oil” from the Olive Oil Times.

From the Nashville Scene “Best of Nashville 2011: Food & Beverage Writers’ Choice“.

“Olive harvest” from HobbyFarms.com.

And now for another way to use an olive tree. From The Weekly Calistogan “Gratitude Trees give visitors a chance to speak their hearts“.

“Settler clashes with Palestinians reach boiling point” from the Sydney Morning Herald.

From SecondAct.com “Make Your Own Healthy Salad Dressing“.

“Lablabi: A Soulful Bowlful” from the Wall Street Journal Food & Drink section.

From Reuters “California tightens olive oil labeling rules“.

From the Los Angeles Times Travel section “Olive harvesting in Umbria, Italy, drips with tradition“.

From OnMilwaukee.com “Oro di Oliva brings “liquid gold” to professional and amateur chefs“.

May the sun shine through your branches.

www.olivecrazy.com

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