When Life Gives You Olives…

These past two years we have been overwhelmed by the sheer numbers of wasps; mud daubers, red wasps, rice field wasps, paper wasps, meat bees, hornets, yellow jackets and those freakin’ black paper wasps with the yellow stripes. I’m sure that I’m forgetting one or two other types in my rant…

Recently, as we sat outside, looking at the orchard, enjoying our time, we were constantly harassed by a paper wasp that was building a nest in the siding of our house. Being thoroughly annoyed by this creature as it crashed into me, then into the house, then finally into a gap in the siding, I decided to closely observe the little creature.

The more I watched, the more I realized that wasps are the drunk drivers of the insect world. They bounce off of everything as they make a tortured and twisted “line” to where ever it is that they are going. It’s even worse when they’re building a nest, carrying a hunk of saliva and chewed up wood or mud. That extra gob of stuff really tips their navigation from haphazard to straight-up hazard.

Knowing that we didn’t have the motivation to eliminate the nest just yet, we tried to slow the nest building progress by jamming rosemary branches (it was nearby) into the hole.  That didn’t work. So, we jammed even more rosemary into the hole and it still didn’t work. It slowed them down a little, but they found their merry way through the tangle. Soon enough, the wasps would pop out of the hole, peek around a bit, then inelegantly fly off.

Fortunately, neither of us got stung that day, but I can’t tell you how many hit-and-runs there were…

My summer farmer’s market schedule has just begun winding down. Wednesday night was the last Petaluma market and I can’t believe it’s over already! Seemed like we had just gotten started, and bingo!, that was it!!! I am happy to inform my loyal and wonderful customers, (new and old), that Haus Fortuna, on 2nd Street, Petaluma, will be carrying my Foothills Blend throughout the year! If you haven’t been there yet, you really should. The store is filled with incredible, unique gift ideas and is a pleasure to shop at. Tonight, Friday, Gene and I will be at the Marysville market from 5:00 until 8:30. Come and see us and try our delicious “end blend”. This market is only around for another month, so don’t miss out!

It is bittersweet when these seasonal markets end. I love having the opportunity to meet new customers, visit with familiar faces and share my olive oil with everyone. There is also an interesting bond that is created between fellow vendors. We get attached to each other, out of respect for the lives we have chosen being farmers. I always have interesting stories to tell when I get home and I’m always excited to see what’s been going on around here. But really, there’s NO place like home. This is where I long to be the most. With my dog, my kitty, the ponies and the chickies. The birds, turkeys and the starlit sky. And most of all, my man….What an amazing place to return to and watch my olives grow.

Waking up to a very smoky morning, again. The fire up in Dobbins has grown to over 3,200 acres and won’t be fully contained for days. Here’s to all the firefighter’s hard work and to their safety. Being a Fire Chief’s daughter, I have ultimate respect for the job. But being a firefighter in Cape Cod, MA. is a whole lot different than dealing with the terrain of the Yuba County foothills. My thoughts go out to those evacuated from their homes, the young and old dealing with the heavy smoke and all the poor innocent animals involved with this fire. My fingers are crossed that Mother Nature keeps the wind at bay…

On the 15th and 16th of November, we completed our Arbequina harvest in Sutter county. These tiny olives pack an awesome and very unique flavor. To make them even better, they’re quite easy to harvest! The branches tend to hang down, so you just wrap your fingers around the branch (loosely) and pull towards your belly bucket. The olives rain down into the bucket (causing much delight).

Our crew was a little slow and the fruit was only in spots, here and there. The weather was gorgeous, albeit a little warm for this time of year. Once again, a t-shirt and shorts would have been appropriate apparel for the day.  So, now to the totals: 1075 pounds.

Our chicken population is now down to 3. These will be the last of their kind, since we don’t plan to let the hens sit any more eggs (If I’ve learned one thing though, it’s that hens are very crafty). The last one to be born was the lovely and very shy, Teresita Chiquita. Also in this picture (soon to be uploaded here) is the old girl, Brewster and the coolest rooster on Earth, Leroy. This rooster doesn’t take everything for himself. If he finds some lovely treat in the yard (like a grape or a worm), he’ll call the girls over and let them have it.

The weather has been exceptional this spring and the grass has grown so tall that it is taking on a life of it’s own. More correctly, all of the things that live in the grass are now rummaging about and getting back into the swing of life. As I made pass after pass down the orchard rows with the mower, I saw a few of my favorites.

The first orchard resident to present itself was a HUGE Chinese ring neck pheasant. He is the most glorious pheasant that I have seen in California and is a regular visitor at Sylverleaf. We see him very frequently and hear him most every day. I think that he likes to torture our dog with his calls.

Next, I scared up a jackrabbit. Well, truth be told, it scared me. It jumped up directly in front of the tractor, startling me and distracting me for about a half-second. In that time, I ended up too close to one of the main branches of an olive tree. That brief encounter with the olive tree forced me to pull the tractor into the shop for some, eh, minor repairs to the tractor’s fender…

Feeling good about the repairs, I continued mowing in a rather unkempt area of the orchard. This area is thick with blackberries that are 8 feet high and present a formidable challenge. While crashing through the berry patch, I caught a glimpse of one of the several barn owls that live in and around the orchard. Absolutely beautiful. It’s too bad that we can’t see these gorgeous birds more often in daylight.

Lastly, and not to diminish their significance, I was treated to a near constant show from wild turkeys. At this time of year, the turkeys gather all around this area as the toms call out to the hens. The toms cared very little that I was nearby and continued to show their impressive tail feathers and mating displays. From my best estimates, I saw two toms and 8 hens. Hopefully, within the next couple of months, we’ll begin to see all of the babies.

It really is incredible to see all of these wonderful creatures living so well in our orchards.

June 19^{th, 2007}

If we all did more dog-like things, the world really would be a better place. Please, don’t ever underestimate the intelligence of a dog.

Today I was at the water pump for our new irrigation system, attempting to flush out the filter. The timer system seemed not to be working (story of a farmer’s life—there’s always something that doesn’t work) and I quickly realized that the rechargeable batteries had failed. My first option was to take the whole timer system off. Well, that meant going to the water main and shutting it off, going to the shop and getting a wrench thing to take the Rainbird timer off, etc…

Meanwhile, my sweet helper, Maya comes up to check on the progress. She sniffs the ground at my feet and immediately jumps up and out of my vicinity. Of course concerned about what I haven’t seen, I jump too. But looking at the ground, I don’t see a thing. Hmmm…

O.K., what to do about this water situation. Then, OUCH!! Ants are biting my feet and are caught under the straps of my sandals! Big, black, angry, biting ants! OUCH, again.

If I had only paid attention to my Maya dog, and could see things from her perspective (nose to the ground), or heeded her warning, I wouldn’t have been standing in a mound of biting ants.

Thanks Maya XO

Hi, my name is Beth Sylver. I am a small town girl, born and raised in Cape Cod, Massachusetts. I now live in the small northern California town of Loma Rica (rich hills) with my husband Gene and various and sundry animals. We have been living here in an olive orchard since September of 2001, but it seems like a lifetime.

We moved from Petaluma, CA to this little Sierra Foothills town because the rapid growth and rising cost of living propelled us to consider moving elsewhere. Plus, I met a client-turned-friend at Twisted Vines in downtown Petaluma who resides in Rough and Ready (near to Loma Rica). I said, “There’s no place called Rough and Ready!??” Thus began our search…

After a short period of time, we happened upon this inland, open-spaced, RURAL region and knew it felt right. That’s basically how we landed here, smack dab in the middle of a very old olive orchard, thirty minutes to the nearest major grocery store. Please check out our website for a more detailed story.

We now make award winning, world renowned extra virgin olive oil. What else could we do, surrounded by olive trees? People often ask me what it’s like to be in this new role as farmer and olive oil maker. It must sound so glamorous to those who haven’t worn these gloves or walked in these boots. Indeed, it is a magical feeling to bring these ancient beauties back to life, but there are days when they conquer us completely. You might not believe it, but Gene and I really moved to the country so we could slow down!

That’s not exactly what happened…

We’re still not 100% sure how we got “here,” but we’re most certainly glad we did. Hopefully, I can entertain and educate you with these tales of my EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil) Adventure. I’ll attempt to amuse you with daily happenings on the farm, silly moments, crazy weather and introduce the animals that add so much to Sylverleaf. Finally, I’ll throw in some recipes using our olive oil and keep you updated on any olive oil related issues.

We’ll see what happens, together…

Olive the Best,

Beth Sylver
Sylverleaf Olive Oil