Olive Oil

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jan400
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Olive Oil

Postby jan400 » Sun Feb 05, 2006 12:23 pm

This might seem a silly question but how do I choose a really good olive oil? Is price as good a guide as any?

Beachcomber
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Postby Beachcomber » Sun Feb 05, 2006 12:30 pm

You need to look for 'virgen extra' on the bottle. This is made from the first pressing but does contain preservatives and additives when commercially produced.

The best virgin olive oil comes from neighbours who make their own or, failing that, from the local co-operative. Do not be put off by the fact that it is not crystal clear.

It usually comes in large carafes and it is best to syphon it into smaller more manageable containers so as not to disturb the sediment that will form at the bottom.

frank
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Postby frank » Sun Feb 05, 2006 12:38 pm

Beachcomber wrote: The best virgin olive oil comes from neighbours who make their own or, failing that, from the local co-operative. Do not be put off by the fact that it is not crystal clear.
We were honoured to be given some of this once, and as you say, it can be like pea soup, you certainly can't see through it! ;-)
Regards, Frank

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olivefarmer
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Postby olivefarmer » Sun Feb 05, 2006 12:58 pm

As an olivefarmer, yes it is true. The price of olive oil is going up all the time. Having just finished our harvest we are getting twice as much per kilo as last year.

The oil brought in shops that is crystal clear is the processed final item, allowing for a longer shelf life. Most co-operatives will sell oil like this. To get the thick stuff you may be better off trying a small mill.

Olivefarmer

Midnight Rambler

Postby Midnight Rambler » Sun Feb 05, 2006 8:20 pm

I had a conversation once with a french chef who told me that any olive oil that contains more than 1% free fatty acids is not worth using for food preparation, I don't know if this is true but it sounded impressive to me!

Grouser
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Postby Grouser » Sun Feb 05, 2006 10:13 pm

Sample it, poor oil will leave an unpleasant aftertaste.
Grouser

nevada smith

Postby nevada smith » Sun Feb 05, 2006 11:33 pm

ah, the myths enshrouding wine & olive oil -
the 'best' virgin oil comes from neighbors or the local cooperative... well...

1. check out the International Olive Oil Council on google -
2. go out and buy some 'virgen extra' oils and have a 'tasting fest'
(may i humbly recommend that one of them be
Nunez de Prado at less that 5 euros... )
select the one(s) that satisfy your taste...
3. olive oil is an annual product -
each bottle should be used before the next harvest
each year (like wine) the oil will be different...
and, consider The Olive Oil Companion by Judy Ridgway...

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silver
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Postby silver » Mon Feb 06, 2006 9:22 am

An official test by experts on virgin olive oil sold in shops revealed that Olidor came top followed by Elosua Carbonell y la Masía...but I find that the "first press" from a local mill is superior....some areas like Jaen are renowned for the best taste.
french chef
just love cooking with butter...have a look on line regarding the values of olive oil.
No muerdes la mano que te da de comer.

Jade138
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Postby Jade138 » Mon Feb 06, 2006 2:50 pm

We use EVO for most cooking.
The lighter version for deep frying.
We simply love the taste of EVO.
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frank
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Postby frank » Mon Feb 06, 2006 8:58 pm

olivefarmer wrote:As an olivefarmer, yes it is true. The price of olive oil is going up all the time. Having just finished our harvest we are getting twice as much per kilo as last year.
Olivefarmer
Have i just encountered my first ever contented farmer? ;-) There must be something you cam moan about! ;-)
Regards, Frank

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olivefarmer
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Postby olivefarmer » Mon Feb 06, 2006 9:54 pm

Frank Wrote
Have i just encountered my first ever contented farmer? There must be something you cam moan about!
Frank Plenty to moan about, but what good would it do! Unless you no someone who can make it rain for a couple of weeks.

Olivefarmer

jan400
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Postby jan400 » Mon Feb 06, 2006 10:36 pm

Me OliveFarmer! I can turn the weather in seconds. I'll book a flight :lol:

Susan Davies
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Postby Susan Davies » Fri Feb 10, 2006 5:45 pm

Hi all - Im hoping to move to my place near Seville in Oct. It has lots of olive trees (but not on a farm scale). Very unexpectedly I managed to sell the (poor) harvest this year at the local co-operative and hope this year will be better. What I would like to know though is how do you prepare the olives to eat? I have never done any gardening in the past so I would be so thrilled if I can a) learn how to grow my own produce and b)learn how to prepare the olives. Can anyone advise please?

nevada smith

Postby nevada smith » Fri Feb 10, 2006 6:02 pm

use the 'search' feature at the top of this page -
type in 'olives' and the page that comes up will get you started
and, of course, there's that old standby... google -

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olivefarmer
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Postby olivefarmer » Fri Feb 10, 2006 7:15 pm

Susan

Out of intrest what price did you get per Kilo from the Co-op?

Olivefarmer

Susan Davies
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Postby Susan Davies » Tue Feb 14, 2006 11:40 am

Olive Farmer

I think it was between 0.51 and 0.53€ per kilo

Sue D

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Olive price

Postby olive » Tue Feb 14, 2006 11:44 pm

Susan - presumably that doesn't include the EU subvention? Do you have any idea what that is going to be this year?

Olivefarmer - Out of interest is that in line with what you expected / got?

Susan Davies
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Postby Susan Davies » Wed Feb 15, 2006 1:40 pm

Olive farmer
We had no idea what to expect, so were happy with what we got. If I were really honest, it didnt seem much for the quantity of olives but there again I dont know how much oil my oilves would have produced (its a learning curve at the moment). And I have no idea what a subvention is - please excuse my ignorance

Sue D

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olivefarmer
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Postby olivefarmer » Wed Feb 15, 2006 1:52 pm

Susan

Subvention is your EU grant for having olive trees and producing Olives /olive oil. All those years paying into the EU and I'm finally getting something out of it.

I will e-mail you this evening with the details and rest. Just got in for lunch and I have to collect my daughter from school.

Olivefarmer
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pigs-might-fly
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Postby pigs-might-fly » Wed Feb 15, 2006 7:15 pm

Oleo de Cazorla for us - bootiful!
Slightly peppery if you like that .Around 19 Euros for 5 litres these days :?
BTW I have heard that cooking with extra virgin aceite is very bad for you as it converts all the "good" cholesterol to the "bad" type. Advice given is either to use sunflower for cooking or cheaper olive oil. If you want the flavour add the good stuff at the end of cooking!


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