I am simply in love with the Queen Creek Olive mill. After years of wanting to go take the tour, I finally did with my hot date and we both fell in love with it all. This mill is truly a "5 star" establishment and sticks to the Enlightened Homemakers strict guidelines for acceptable foods. I learned so much about the process of making olive oil and what true, good olive oil is about. I learned that "light Olive Oil" in the stores is the worst of it all; the garbage oil. So many think that means low calorie. Stay away from that. You want Extra virgin, expeller pressed and from the Olive Mill if you can! (you out of towners can order from them).
First, I must tell you a bit about the great people who brought this to us. The owner, Perry, had a lucrative auto parts business in Detroit (I think it was there?) and decided to retire from it and do something different with his life. He had a gaggle of kids and wanted them to learn something new. He had farmer stock in his family and decided that would be a good venture. Now, he did what I want to do in the worst way ever. He yanked those kids from their home and moved them far away to become farmers. He decided on olive trees and before he knew it, he was making some amazing olive oil that fine restaurants were begging for. Today, he is on top of his game with some of the best oil in the world. I will leave the rest for you to learn about. My dream is to have a plot of land, away from the worldly things of this life (not too far), away from chaos and rush of life and to have my hands in dirt and up to my elbows in canning and homemaking. I love that this man had a dream and went with it. I love that he makes quality and does not , at all cost, cut corners jeopardizing it.
Back to the olive oil; these trees are grown under sustainable farming. No pesticides, no waste. They use the left over olive pulp for mulch. They press the oil using the best possible techniques so you get all the flavor and all the nutrition. Perry hand makes all the oil blends with his amazing touch. If you go, you get to sample them all. I had the chocolate olive oil drizzled on my roasted banana gelato. Heavenly. I had an amazing roasted veggie foccacia sandwich and their homemade prickly pear lemonade. I wish you could have all joined me.
The Backyard Farmer just delivered the Garlic Olive Oil to me from the Olive Mill and I can't wait to use it tonight. This is going to be an expensive new hobbie!
Anyways, I simply love how there is still quality in this life. I love that people find passions and go for their dream. I love that kids are learning to work hard. I love that there are people like Perry in this world and I so hope that I can meet him soon. (Anyone at the Olive Mill reading may hook me up anytime. I will do dishes or shovel olive manure; whatever it takes)
Hope you all can take the tour. It is a great date. Go in October and you will get to actually see the whole process as it will be harvest time. It really is fascinating and makes you appreciate food. We are so detached from our food. If we saw how things were made or grown, we would be much more picky about what we eat. I now will only be able to use this Olive Oil. I am spoiled on the good stuff. It is rough being a foodie.
**P.S., you can still get the Groupon for $18 that is good for two tours, two gourmet sandwiches and two drinks. Super great deal:
Olive Mill Groupon
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13 comments:
how much does the tour cost? i would love to go!
It is $5 per person but you can still buy the Groupon for $18 which includes a tour for two, two gourmet sandwhiches up to $10 each and two drinks. Super good deal.
click on this link to get it. NOt sure how long it will be offered.
http://www.groupon.com/r/uu6393115
I just added the link to the bottom of the post.
Shari,
Since extra-virgin olive oil has such a strong taste, I use light olive oil in my baking. I've often wondered how healthy (or unhealthy) the light oil is, but everyone I've asked seems to think it is fine to use. (Not as top-notch as extra-virgin, but far better than refined vegetable oils.) I don't want to use it in the future if it is unhealthy, so PLEASE enlighten me as to why light olive oil is so unhealthy.
The good, pure olive oil can have a mild taste as well if you get the right kind. The taste will depend on when the olives were harvested and how they are harvested. The later the harvest, the milder the taste. The Olive mill has varieties so you can pick the taste. The light olive oil means that you are getting mostly the junk oil that is the leftover oil from the pulp that is chemically treated to get the oil out. This is the junk that the Olive MIll throws out. The oil I get from them I actually use in baking. I used the Blood orange in my pancakes today. Divine!
PS, that is why the light oil is the cheapest.
shari--i too am wondering---are you saying that light olive oil is worse than baking with canola, or vegetable oil? i was under the impression that as far as baking oil goes--light olive oil was one of the better ones and didnt leave any after taste.
isnt soybean oil more of a garbage oil than light olive? ive NEVER come across an extra virgin olive oil that was acceptable for baking with. i would love to know if you think there is one available. olive flavor doesnt belong in pancakes in my opinion.
Jill,
I agree that most olive oils don't taste well in baking. Until I found the Olive mill blood orange, I never would have used in pancakes but their blood orange or vanilla bean is amazing. However, before that, I always used coconut oil in my baking and still use that primarily. The only other oil besides Olive Oil and coconut oil that I use is expeller pressed grapeseed oil. What you want to look for in oils is how it is processed. Expeller pressed means it is done without heat or chemicals.. If it isn't expeller pressed, then usually there is a heat or chemical process to extract the oil which changes the components of the oil. You also look at the source because many of the oils on the shelves are already turning rancid which is horrible for the body. I am an oil snob for this very reason. So, to answer your question; I would probably agree that light olive oil is better than canola oil or vegetable oil but I wouldn't use any of them for anything. You will never go wrong with using coconut oil in your baking which can substitute for butter or oil or expeller pressed grapeseed oil. Coconut oil being the best. I fry with coconut oil as well.
sorry to not let this conversation die--but i was wondering---if you dont love the taste of coconut--is there a brand of coconut oil that you would use in baking that wouldnt leave a coconut flavor in everything? i like coconut in some things, but i find it very overbearing at times---and sometimes it ruins the flavors of other foods because its so assertive.
but i would love to switch to that eventually---just not that big of a coconut fan.
I use Tropical Traditions coconut oil which doesn't have much of the taste and if you buy the green label , it is even less of a taste. You would never know it was coconut. The Gold label is the best, which I buy, but even then, I don't taste a coconut taste in my baking. You can buy Spectrum refined at stores which doesn't have a taste to it. It is best to get the unrefined but the refined is still better than most oils.
That sounds like a great place! Maybe I am weird but I have never noticed any difference when I use extra virgin olive oil in my baking. Before I used primarily coconut oil or butter, I used a lot of extra virgin olive oil as I baked and could never tell...? I guess I just love olive oil ;)
The post from Connie Lee on coconut oil is actually from Shari Goodman; I am out of town on my mommy's account!
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