- Author: Jeannette E. Warnert
Citrus growers in Florida, who are struggling with the devastating citrus disease huanglongbing, are considering growing olives, according to a report on the Tampa, Fla., ABC news affiliate.
Reporter Ryan Raiche covered a meeting at the University of Florida Citrus Research and Extension Center where UC Cooperative Extension farm advisor Paul Vossen introduced growers to olive production and marketing and offered citrus growers the opportunity to taste a variety of olives and olive oils.
“This is not a slam dunk, because this is a...
- Author: Jeannette E. Warnert
In the last two decades, artisanal olive oil production in California has surged as consumers have developed an appreciation for the freshness, high quality and distinctive flavors that good locally produced oil can provide, reported food writer David Karp in the Los Angeles Times.
The story focused on Joyce Lukon, who bought a lot with a view of Topanga Canyon as an investment and tried to make it more attractive for resale by planting grapes and olives. She took classes in the sensory analysis of olive oil taught at UC Davis by Paul Vossen, a Sonoma County farm advisor who has been a...
- Author: Jeannette E. Warnert
California producers have mounted a major effort to bring back the domestic olive oil industry, planting thousands of acres, building mills and producing oils that are fresher, purer and cheaper than all but the finest imports, said a New York Times News Service article by Julia Moskin.
In fact, the article noted, a recent study by the Olive Center at UC Davis found that 69 percent of imported extra-virgin olive oils bought off the shelves of California supermarkets failed to meet international standards. European producers, however, said that testing supermarket products proves nothing about the...
- Author: Jeannette E. Warnert
The second and final study of the past year by the UC Davis Olive Center focusing on the quality of "extra virgin" olive oil finds that most olive oil imported into the U.S. fails to meet the international criteria for "extra virgin," according to a news release published today in the Sacramento Business Journal.
- Author: Jeannette E. Warnert
A study conducted by UC Davis sensory scientists Claudia Delgado and Jean-Xavier Guinard found that consumers prefer rancid olive oil to the bitter and pungent olive oil favored by experts, said an article in Olive Oil Times. The findings suggest a need for consumer education to keep California olive oil in position for growth.
For the study, 110 consumers rated 22 commercial olive oils. Key findings:
- 74 percent said they disliked the oils identified as...