About this time two years ago it was big news when the first bottles labeled “Extra Virgin Olive Oil – Georgia Olive Farms” showed up on the shelves of select food shops. Star Provisions got 12 bottles and reported selling out within an hour.
The supply is exponentially bigger now. Five summers of growth on olive trees here in Georgia has provided enough fruit that Georgia olive oil can now be found on shelves at Whole Foods, Cook’s Warehouse and Strippaggio, as well as at Star Provisions and other locations.
Jason Shaw, one of the growers of Georgia Olive Farms in Lakeland, says the response has been overwhelming. “With the help of our friend Glenn Baker, we’ve partnered with top chefs all over the state who are helping spread the word about how fresh this oil is and how great it is to have local olive oil,” he said.
Georgia Olive Farms is a collaborative effort, a group of about a dozen farmers with 300 acres in olive trees. About 50 of those acres have trees with sufficient age to be producing enough olives to make oil.
“We started with 24 acres, and we’re adding more every year,” Shaw said. “As Georgia Olive Farms, we work with other farmers, providing and installing the trees. They tend them and then we come in to do the harvesting.”
The trees are planted using GPS technology to set up a grid that will make for easier harvesting. Harvesting doesn’t involve human pickers going down each row and pulling olives from the trees. There’s special equipment similar to mechanical grape harvesters. The olives get to the mill and are pressed within 24 hours of harvest.
“It’s a really exciting time for us. We’re getting full production on our oldest trees, and we have a new processing mill,” Shaw said. He estimates the growers will produce 5,000 gallons of oil this year.
For those who think olives will only grow in a warm Mediterranean climate, Shaw says olives are actually pretty tough. He finds they’re hardy here in Georgia to about the Hawkinsville area.
It’s more than temperature that determines how the olive trees will fare. “There’s wind speed, humidity, the length of time it stays cold,” he said. “Olive farming is no different than farming other fruit trees. We’re all subject to Mother Nature.”
This year’s crop was harvested in October with bottling beginning in November. “Once the oil is pressed, we move it from tank to tank to help the sediment settle out,” Shaw said. “That takes 30 to 45 days, but it extends the shelf life of the oil.”
This year’s crop is just now making it to store shelves.
Georgia Olive Farms plants three varieties of olives: Arbequina, Arbosana and Koroneiki. From those olives it produces two oils: its Chef’s Blend, which is a cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil made primarily from Georgia Arbequina olives with the addition of American-grown Arbosana and Koroneiki olives; and Pure Georgia Arbequina oil, which uses only Georgia-grown Arbequina olives and is available in limited quantities.
For sale at local farmers markets
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From local reports
Linton Hopkins’ Aioli Provencal
Hands on: 10 minutes
Total time: 10 minutes
Makes: 1 1/4 cups
Chef Linton Hopkins of Restaurant Eugene and Holeman & Finch is a big fan of this pungent garlic mayonnaise. He notes that it’s wonderful with vegetables but also with fried seafood and fish stews. For our photo, he’s paired it with fried oysters.
If you are concerned about using a raw egg yolk, you can substitute 1/2 cup of fresh bread crumbs. “The crumbs will work, but they won’t give the aioli the same unctuous quality,” Hopkins said. “You can use a pasteurized egg yolk, but the best way is to use a farm egg from a farmer you trust.”
6 garlic cloves
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
1 egg yolk
1 cup Georgia olive oil
With a mortar and pestle, mash garlic and salt until a paste is formed. If you don’t have a mortar and pestle, use the side of a chef’s knife and mash the garlic and salt together on a cutting board. Move garlic paste to a small bowl. Whisk in egg yolk. Continue whisking and add olive oil in a slow, steady stream until mixture is completely emulsified. Refrigerate until ready to use. May be made up to three days ahead, but the garlic becomes more pungent as it sits.
Per 1-tablespoon serving: 100 calories (percent of calories from fat, 98), trace protein, trace carbohydrates, trace fiber, 11 grams fat (2 grams saturated), 11 milligrams cholesterol, 48 milligrams sodium.
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