OUR OLIVE OIL
Our olives come from sustainable groves of Maurino, Leccino and a small number of Coratina trees and our oil has been certified by the California Olive Oil Council (COOC) as Extra Virgin. Every fall, in late November or early December, we carefully monitor our trees as the fruit ripens to pick at the optimum time for a combination of green and fully ripened olives which will produce the smooth, buttery flavor that we try to achieve in our oil.
It is then rushed to the press withing 24 hours so that the peak flavors are captured before they begin to change.
For the next few years, our oil production will be limited until our newly planted trees begin to produce harvestable fruit. For that reason, we currently make only a limited edition press of olio nuovo oil which should be used within six months for best flavor.
La Ferme Soleil Extra Virgin Olive can be purchased at the Winters Chamber of Commerce and the Vacacille Chamber of Commerce.
INERESTING OLIVE FACTS:
It is believed that olives were first cultivated in Syria approximately 6,000 years ago.
A tablespoon of olive oil contains about 120 calories and 14 grams total fat.
There are close to 1000 varieties of olives in the world.Olive trees start to produce olive oil after five to eight years, but full production isn’t expected until trees are between 35-100 years old.
Winners in the Olympic Games were crowned with wreaths of olive leaves.
Residents of Crete have the highest consumption of olive oil per person in the world, and the lowest death rate from heart related diseases.
There is no cholesterol in olive oil.
According to the International Olive Council (IOC), U.S. imports of olive oil have more than doubled in the last 10 years. Similar trends are emerging in other countries as well.
