Comments on: Choosing California Olive Oil

By: Jay

Jay — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 03:14:24 +0000

Why would you say don’t cook with a particular olive oil?

By: Rachel

Rachel — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 19:02:39 +0000

Preston Vineyards in Sonoma has some really great olive oil, fresh baked breads and wine tasting.

http://www.wineroad.com/wineries/53

By: Surati Ivey

Surati Ivey — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 03:15:15 +0000

I gotta tell ya. Ditto on your review of the olive oils from California Olive Ranch.
It’s quiet fabulous, I just love it. The MILLERS BLEND is my favorite, and it cost $10.50 at the local gourmet health food store. A very good price for such quality! I’ve turned all my friends onto it, and will buy a case for Christmas presents-a very useful gift.
I drizzle it on salads along with good balsamic or fresh lime juice-great with fleur de sal sprinkled lightly on top. But actually I do fry eggs in it, eggplant for gratins, saute mirepoux for soups & stews, etc..I tend to be a bit extravagant.

McEvoy is lovely, but doesn’t impress me (as much) at the cost of a hefty $18 per bottle.

If you really want some holy olive oil, try to a hold of the extra virgin ones from Israeli olives grown in the hills of Galilee, made by the Israeli Olive Board. A friend gifted me with a bottle and it was so special I save it for finishing.

By: Kirsten

Kirsten — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 05:10:05 +0000

This is absolutely a great question, Brad. The “Harvest” date and the “Best By” date are two, totally different dates. The harvest date is the month/year when the fruit was harvested (from which the oil was extracted). In the case of California Olive Ranch, that is typically October or November. Looking at our latest product in my hand, Everyday California Fresh EVOO, it indicates a Harvest Date of 2008. We’re looking forward to harvest this year’s bounty very soon.

A “Best By” date is the date by which we recommend the consumer uses up the oil that they purchased from us, so depending on which oil you select, it may also state this directly on the bottle. This date assumes that the bottle has NOT been opened. Our oil is capped with a blanket of Nitrogen during bottling so that no oxygen is in contact with the oil. Usually the “Best By” date is 2 years from the bottling date, but no later than 3 years from the harvest date. Hope this helps.