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PICKING & PRESSING OLIVES Our Olive Trees: Our Leccino and Frantoio olive trees are imported from Italy. Blooming and Pollination: Leccino & Frantoio olives begin to blossom from March to May of each year. Pollination begins in May and small olives begin to appear in May. Some small olives do not grow, but the number that will mature are defined in June. The olive fruit then grows in fresh weight from May into October, when their weight stabilizes until they are picked. Watering: Our olive groves are moderately watered throughout the summer as oil trees are very drought resistant. Each of our trees has one drip emitter from an irrigation line that covers all of the trees. We waste no water by spray or flood irrigation, as water is a precious commodity in Alhambra Valley. The oil percentage of the olive begins to increase from August to November. Picking: At Powers Ranch we pick the olives when they start to turn dark. Usually that is in early November. We like most of the olive fruit to be green with just a little coloring to red or black because the oil then is crisp, light & peppery. We have always picked by hand, but will start to use vibrating equipment to get about 80% of the fruit, and then finish it off by hand picking. Fertilizing: We leave the pruning in the groves and move them into the field between the trees. We measure the nutrients taken from the grove by evaluating what is removed by the olives. That is what we return in organic fertilizer. Sustainable Agriculture: Sustainable Agriculture is one that produces abundant food without depleting the earth’s resources or polluting the environment. Sustainable agriculture is also one of social values, one whose success encourages vibrant rural communities, rich lives for farming families and wholesome food for everyone. These smaller, family farms thrive in local markets and within local food systems, often selling directly to consumers. We at Alhambra Valley Olive Oil Company are proud to support the guiding principles of the Sustainable Family Farm’s “Buy Fresh - Buy Local” campaign. Pressing: Immediately following picking, the fruit is taken directly to the Olive Press in Glen Ellen for cold pressing. Aging
and Bottling: After pressing the oil is stored in
a cool stone cave in stainless steel vats so the small particles
of olives are allowed to settle out of the oil. This takes about
two months, and then the oil is racked off into new stainless containers
which have spickets to allow for filling the individual containers. |
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