Farm fresh olive oil

It’s olive oil time. The olives that were harvested earlier in the year have now completed the whole cycle, from blushing fruit to a green gold olive oil.

My 5 litres of fresh cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil, was hand-delivered by our friends from the Klaasvoogds valley. This is where they grow their olives.

South Africa has become the proud producer of award winning olive oil in recent years. Several of the producers of the Gold, award-winning olive oils, are from the valley. They produce olive oils awarded Gold status in different categories, from delicate to intense.

Olive oil needs to be fresh and well-stored. Olive oil should not be kept for longer than two years. We try to use our olive oil within in a year of production.

Buying our olive oil requirements locally, brings a certain satisfaction of knowing that they come from olive orchards that we drive-by on a weekly basis. In using locally produced olive oil, we are reducing our carbon footprint as well.

Different olives, like grape varietals, have their own characteristics that they bring to the oil. According to SA Olive, many producers choose to blend different cultivars to maintain a more consistent product.

The better known cultivars used to make Extra-Virgin Olive Oil in South Africa are:

·         Leccino – which produces an oil with soft, subtle herbaceous flavours.

·         Frantoio – a typical Tuscan varietal, with strong green overtones.

·         Coratina – can produce a rather bitter oil.

·         Favolosa – produces an intensely fruity oil.

·         Mission – a table olive which can be used to produce smooth delicate fruity oils, often contributing to roundness in a blend.  (Source: https://www.saolive.co.za/)

Rich in natural antioxidants, olive oil is a very healthy addition to the kitchen culinary arsenal. It is best to eat it raw over salads and in prepared food, as the heating of the olive oil destroys some of the health benefits. The flavour of olive oil when cooked with the food, can sometimes overpower some food flavours.

We bottled our cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil and stored it in the cellar away from harsh light where it is ready for use over the coming year.

If I look at different award winning oils, I am tempted to go on an olive oil tasting course and become a connoisseur. But like wine, I tend to trust my own taste-buds. I try not to be seduced by awards. My own instinct for flavours and the pairing thereof, has served me well. I enjoy produce from the valley. Knowing where a culinary product comes from is very comforting.

With farm fresh olive oil in the cellar, the scene is set for local culinary flavours on the Towerwater table.