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February is California Olive Oil Month!
One of the Capay Valley’s most sublime agricultural products is olive oil. Not just any old vegetable oil, this is the extra virgin, highest quality oil available in the world. In keeping with the proclamation of California Olive Oil Month this February by Governor Schwarzenegger, Farm Shop urges everyone to make California olive oil a staple in their kitchens and cuisines.
Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) has many health benefits. It is high in monounsaturated fats, a healthy type of fat, which reduces both overall and bad cholesterol levels. Extra virgin olive oil also contains a great amount of polyphenols, important antioxidants that promote heart health and longevity.
The famous Spanish olive varietal, Arbequiña, produces exquisite oil and yields quite different results in the hands of two different Capay Valley producers, both using organic production methods, and meticulous harvesting and milling. Their care yields olive oil with well less than 1% acidity and the seal of extra virgin oil.
Capay Oaks Farm is located in the town of Guinda. The proprietors, Ron and Sandi Lutsko, with their two daughters, began farming olives in 2004. They hand harvest in small batches and get them to press within four hours. While the oil from this fruit is renowned for its grassy, herbaceous flavor, as it ages the flavor smooths out and the oil bears just a hint of grassiness with rich complex undertones of ripe fruit remaining.
The Taber Ranch olive oil is also located in the fertile Capay Valley. Their fragrant and fruity Arbequiña EVOO is estate grown. This olive oil is a gold medal winner at the Los Angeles Olive Oils of the World Competition and the Yolo County California Olive Oils Competition, including Best of Show in 2005.
Both Taber Ranch and Capay Oaks extra virgin oils are certified by the California Olive Oil Council. Founded in 1992, the California Olive Oil Council (COOC) is a non-profit trade and marketing association whose purpose is to promote the growing of olives and the production of fresh, high-quality extra virgin olive oil in California. Through its Seal Certification program, the COOC helps everyone from home chefs to restaurants find guaranteed extra virgin olive oils for their kitchens. For more information, visit www.cooc.com <http://www.cooc.com>.
Come sample our Capay Valley olive oils this Friday at the San Francisco General Hospital cafeteria, February 26th, between noon and 3pm. If you can’t make it, you are always welcome to purchase our olive oils just let us know and we can add it to your FarmShare order – our pantries are always stocked iwth them!
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