Anyone Love Olive Oil?

heirloomtomaguy · November 19, 2016

I thought yall might like to see how I made olive oil for the first time. I did not use a store bought press but rather my own poor man press. It worked really well and was super easy. Here in Southern California olive trees are like citrus and avocado trees.....they are on every corner. I found a couple dozen trees in a Parkway where no one lives....virtually no man's land. I picked these trees since I did not have to ask permission before harvesting the olives. Now I do not know how to tell the different varieties of olives apart but these particular olives were leaching oil hanging on the tree. The trees were loaded so harvesting get was a breeze. We filled a 5 gallon bucket in around 2 hours. Below are pics and descriptions.

heirloomtomaguy · November 19, 2016

Here we are harvesting the olives. We shook the trees, used a rake, and picked them in order to get them out of the tree. In the second pic my son is doing his best to catch them falling from the tree with a bug net.

heirloomtomaguy · November 19, 2016

When we got home we used our farm style sink to wash the olives. The kids loved getting to swish all of the olives around in the sink. This is where we picked out sticks and leaves.

heirloomtomaguy · November 19, 2016

Here is one part of my press I scored for a few bucks. I drilled holes in the bottom so the oil can collect in the bottom of a bigger stock pot that was used to catch the oil.

heirloomtomaguy · November 19, 2016

First things first I had to blend the olives into a mash pits and all.

heirloomtomaguy · November 19, 2016

Next I put the mash into my wife's kitchen aid mixer for 30 minutes. This causes small droplets of oil to collide with other small droplets. Doing this creates larger droplets that start to pool up on top of the mash. You can really see this in action in the second pic.

greenthumbomaha · November 19, 2016

To someone from a northern climate that is quite amazing to see olives growing on a residential street in suburbia. I pictured them growing in scenic groves in villages in the hills of Greece.
Helpers is a bonus too!

I dip toast in garlic flavored olive oil from Costco all the time. I scramble eggs in olive oil. My DR says I have enough good cholesterol to sell off some of it. Of course I have plenty of the bad stuff too as I am not perfect when it comes to the drive thru. I also buy olive oil mayonnaise and margarine. I bet fresh is to die for!

- Lisa

greenthumbomaha · November 19, 2016

You probably have the fountain of youth in your mixer. How long does it keep?

- Lisa

heirloomtomaguy · November 19, 2016

Quote:

Originally Posted by greenthumbomaha

You probably have the fountain of youth in your mixer. How long does it keep?

- Lisa

Not quite sure yet but I would imagine it keeps the same or longer than store bought oil. Mine did not sit in a warehouse, then on a shelf for months before buying it.

Old chef · November 19, 2016

Keep shaking those trees. I use about 75 liters a week.
Old chef

Worth1 · November 20, 2016

It will get better in 3 to 6 months.
I imagine they are mission olives.

Get some more and cure them in salt water enough salt to float a fresh egg.

Worth

**coronabarb** · November 20, 2016

That's very cool! As you know, we lived in Corona. There is an olive oil company in the Temecula old downtown that has their own orchard that they produce from. So delicious! There is a guy up here in So Oregon trying to grow an olive orchard and produce oil. We do have a Mediterranean climate in this area but it does get cold in the winter. He's in a really iffy place but he has been successful so far. But all it will take is a real good cold snap to kill those trees.

Gardenboy · November 20, 2016

Very nice process you have. I am an avid fan of extra virgin olive oil and use it for almost everything. I love olives too with balsamic vinegar and feta cheese. Have U tried just eating the olives?

Nematode · November 20, 2016

Thanks for sharing.
I have a theory that if it's too cold for olive trees it's too cold for humans, yet still stuck in zone 6.

dmforcier · November 20, 2016

Gardenboy, from what I've heard fresh olives are very bitter. As Worth suggested you have to brine - essentially pickle - them to make them edible.

LOVE good olive oil, so I am quite jealous, HTG. Thanks for the tutorial.

November 19, 2016	#1
heirloomtomaguy Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2013 Location: glendora ca Posts: 2,560	Anyone Love Olive Oil? I thought yall might like to see how I made olive oil for the first time. I did not use a store bought press but rather my own poor man press. It worked really well and was super easy. Here in Southern California olive trees are like citrus and avocado trees.....they are on every corner. I found a couple dozen trees in a Parkway where no one lives....virtually no man's land. I picked these trees since I did not have to ask permission before harvesting the olives. Now I do not know how to tell the different varieties of olives apart but these particular olives were leaching oil hanging on the tree. The trees were loaded so harvesting get was a breeze. We filled a 5 gallon bucket in around 2 hours. Below are pics and descriptions. __________________ “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it."

November 20, 2016	#12
coronabarb Tomatoville® Recipe Keeper Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Roseburg, Oregon - zone 7 Posts: 2,821	That's very cool! As you know, we lived in Corona. There is an olive oil company in the Temecula old downtown that has their own orchard that they produce from. So delicious! There is a guy up here in So Oregon trying to grow an olive orchard and produce oil. We do have a Mediterranean climate in this area but it does get cold in the winter. He's in a really iffy place but he has been successful so far. But all it will take is a real good cold snap to kill those trees. __________________ Corona~Barb Now an Oregon gal

November 20, 2016	#15
dmforcier Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2016 Location: Dallas, TX Posts: 3,825	Gardenboy, from what I've heard fresh olives are very bitter. As Worth suggested you have to brine - essentially pickle - them to make them edible. LOVE good olive oil, so I am quite jealous, HTG. Thanks for the tutorial. __________________ Stupidity got us into this mess. Why can't it get us out? - Will Rogers

November 19, 2016	#7
greenthumbomaha Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Omaha Zone 5 Posts: 2,514	To someone from a northern climate that is quite amazing to see olives growing on a residential street in suburbia. I pictured them growing in scenic groves in villages in the hills of Greece. Helpers is a bonus too! I dip toast in garlic flavored olive oil from Costco all the time. I scramble eggs in olive oil. My DR says I have enough good cholesterol to sell off some of it. Of course I have plenty of the bad stuff too as I am not perfect when it comes to the drive thru. I also buy olive oil mayonnaise and margarine. I bet fresh is to die for! - Lisa

November 19, 2016	#10
Old chef Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2014 Location: Long island Posts: 456	Keep shaking those trees. I use about 75 liters a week. Old chef

November 20, 2016	#11
Worth1 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Den of Drunken Fools Posts: 38,539	It will get better in 3 to 6 months. I imagine they are mission olives. Get some more and cure them in salt water enough salt to float a fresh egg. Worth

November 20, 2016	#13
Gardenboy Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: Fort Lauderdale, FL Posts: 784	Very nice process you have. I am an avid fan of extra virgin olive oil and use it for almost everything. I love olives too with balsamic vinegar and feta cheese. Have U tried just eating the olives?

November 20, 2016	#14
Nematode Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2012 Location: massachusetts Posts: 1,710	Thanks for sharing. I have a theory that if it's too cold for olive trees it's too cold for humans, yet still stuck in zone 6.