Olives101.com

  Olive fruit fly larvae were found on fresh olives that a passenger from Lebanon was trying to carry into San Diego International Airport, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection said Tuesday.   Agriculture specialists working at the airport on Oct. 4 found several olive fruit fly larvae on almost nine pounds of fresh olives [...]

American food lovers have long taken for granted that only olive oils from the Mediterranean are worth buying preferably with an olive tree, an Italian flag and some words like “authentic cold pressed” on the bottle.    

Few broadleaf trees can equal the Olive as material for bonsai. The small leaves and massive deadwood trunks of the Mediterranean Olive (Olea Europa) make it a natural for bonsai – yet the Olive is one tree that was never used for bonsai by the Japanese or the Chinese.  

  California's burgeoning olive oil producers are counting on a newly enacted state labeling law to persuade more consumers that American brands are more virginal than their imported rivals.   The measure, signed into law on Friday by Governor Jerry Brown, tightens the definitions of various calibers of olive oil, such as "virgin" and "extra [...]

  Kendall College of the Culinary Arts in Chicago hosted yesterday a unique event showcasing one of the most essential products in the kitchen: olive oil. Proceeds to benefit Common Threads.     The event hosted by world-renowned olive oil expert, Alfonso J. Fernandez features a presentation, olive oil tasting, tapas and wine all set in [...]

Life as a California olive farmer isn’t exactly easy these days, farmers say U.S. government is hurting, not helping. The number of olives harvested across the state this season is expected to shrivel by about 86 percent from last year. The price schedule for growers is the same as last season despite the dried-up supply. Some [...]

  The olive plant is the largest ripe olive producer in the world. The company processes 52,000 tons of olives a year on average, keeping it's 400 employees hard at work. But this years olive crops are falling a bit short thanks to mother nature. " Weather we're having now can offset next years harvest, [...]

As they wound through the Italian countryside in January, Cambren Davis and Deirdre Rizzo were struck by the picture postcard images all around them. A seed of an idea was growing as they took in the landscape. Everywhere, they saw lush olive trees. Whenever they stopped to eat, there were olives on the table. They [...]

By Ron Brown, With Southern Oregon establishing it’s reputation for growing grapes, another warm climate crop is starting to take root. More than 130 acres between Jacksonville and Medford are the beginning of what some hope will be an olive oil industry in the Rogue Valley. Olive tree Grower Jeff Hoyal has planted more than [...]

As California’s olive oil industry expands and refines, designations of various grades of oil are becoming more distinct and more identifiable. Consumers will face challenges as they learn to differentiate between extra virgin (high-quality) and oil pressed from the pomace of cull olives. All of the oil is expected to move through one market level [...]

A new trend is changing the olive industry in the north state, now it’s all about the oil olives and the expensive liquid gold they produce. In the olive city, there’s a new boom surrounding the fruit, Vice President of Crane Mills Brian Crane says, “The olive oil industry is what wine was decades ago.” [...]

By Julie R. Johnson, Officials are scratching their heads as to why this year’s olive crop is the pits. “The crop looked really good early on,” said Doug Compton, assistant commissioner of the Tehama County Agriculture Department. “But then we began hearing reports of poor fruit set from olive growers.” Across the state, Tehama County [...]

By Brian Lockhart, The state’s strict new olive oil standards have left a bad taste in the mouth of one New York food importer who is arguing in court the rules are unfair, flaunt federal law and are hurting business. Dennis Kangadis, vice president of New York-based Kangadis Food Inc., also known as The Gourmet [...]

By Rob Rogers, Photo Frankie Frost, Publishing heiress Nan McEvoy hopes a once-controversial 98-foot-tall windmill on her northern Marin ranch will become an inspiration for farmers and others interested in leaving fossil fuels behind. “I know there is nothing my mother is prouder of,” said Nion McEvoy, who spoke on his mother’s behalf during a [...]

Cooking enthusiasts and olive oil aficionados are invited to join food professionals from around the world June 21-23 at UC Davis for an international conference exploring the best production practices, sensory qualities and culinary possibilities for the highest quality extra virgin olive oil. “Beyond Extra Virgin,” the largest conference on olive-oil excellence ever held in [...]