When Life Gives You Olives…

For my final post of the day (I promise), I’d like to wish one of Sylverleaf’s favorite chefs good luck! The San Francisco Chronicle’s Inside Scoop has this to say:

“At Ame (689 Mission St.), executive chef Greg Dunmore will leave the kitchen Oct. 21. The 2006 Chronicle Rising Star chef says he’s pursuing his own venture, but says, “I can’t talk about it until I know that it’s a done deal.”

In the meantime, he plans to fill in as a guest chef around town and take some hard-earned vacation time. He’s been working at Ame since the restaurant opened in the St. Regis Hotel in 2005.”

We’ll miss this awesome chef and wish him “Olive the Best!”

Last night, we ate 5(!) different olive oils with our simple meal of pasta with red sauce. We used our Foothills Blend for sauteing the onions and garlic, then an Arbequina oil as a finisher for the sauce, towards the end of the simmering. Lastly, I put an Ascolano oil on one piece of garlic bread and an Arbequina/Arbosana blend on another piece of garlic bread. The boss topped her pasta with a Mission/Manzanillo blend.

Wow. (Lots of fun too).  Each oil lent its’ own flavor to the meal and the combination was out of this world.

You might be thinking, “why all those different oils?” Well, these are the left-overs from our blending and tasting duties. They are sitting around the kitchen, begging to be used. It’s great to sample them, one at a time, but when they all come together.  Wow. Sometimes, it pays to be an olive oil maker!

For the pasta sauce recipe, take a look at our website: Doug’s Pasta Sauce

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.

After much gnashing of teeth, our latest issue of the Sylverleaf Press is now available. If you’re a regular customer, you’ll see a copy in the mail or in your e-mail Inbox. If you’re not on the list, what are you waiting for?! You can grab a copy from our website too.

Enjoy!

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