McEvoy Ranch released its much sought after 2013 Olio Nuovo this week. Available only for a very short time after harvest, this oil is bottled immediately, without filtration and has an intense, fresh flavor.
Medium-bodied with a strong character, this year's Olio Nuovo is as close to a true Tuscan olive oil as you're going to get in this part of the world. The folks at McEvoy describe it as exhibiting a temporary bitterness and savory saltiness on the sides of the tongue. Available at McEvoy's San Francisco Ferry Building shop now and online.
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In my South County Notebook column in the Petaluma Argus Courier this week, summarized here, I focused on the unprecedented problem caused by this year's Olive Fruit Fly infestation throughout the region.
While McEvoy Ranch and premium growers in California have managed to protect their olive orchards from this mass-infestation through meticulous care and maintainance, most small-scale growers saw their 2013 crops wiped out.
"This year has seen the worst olive fruit fly infestation in Bay Area, if not entire California coastal history," said Samantha Dorsey, Farming Manager for McEvoy Ranch. Dorsey, who oversees the care and organic management of 80 acres of olive orchard (as well as 25 acres of vineyards) at the ranch, is an expert in quality olive care and production, upholding the McEvoy family's philosophy towards its diverse and sustainable form of farming.
Hundreds of small scale olive growers (including several wineries) from as far away as Santa Barbara in the south to Booneville in the north have reported 2013 crop infestation and decimation. Many of these growers would otherwise have been making their annual pilgrimage up to Petaluma for McEvoy's annual community milling days.
According to the University of California's Agriculture and Natural Resources department, the Olive Fruit Fly (Bactrocera oleae) poses not only a severe economic threat for the State's cutting edge olive oil industry, but any one, individual fruit bearing ornamental olive tree, untreated on a private property is at risk of exacerbating the problem.
"A number of extraordinarily detrimental factors have led to this year's scenario," explained Dorsey. "This year's very mild summer failed to shut down Olive Fruit Fly production. Without extreme heat, they keep on reproducing."
Thousands of untended trees throughout the region served to provide ideal reproductive conditions.
A simple method for controlling the Olive Fruit Fly if a property owner has olive trees that are not harvested each fall is to prevent fruit formation in the Spring, with a plant growth regulator or high-pressure water sprays during bloom. Anyone planning to harvest olive fruit, is urged by neighboring growers to research basic sanitation practices for olive trees and consider using traps, bait sprays, or barrier films.
In short, the more unprotected olive trees there are in our region, the greater the problem will escalate. Unharvested fruit left to hang tends to cause even more trouble each consecutive Spring. One West Petaluma neighbor told me he is considering removing his backyard, fruit-bearing olive tree in light of this news.
My trusted source for all-things-olive, Teela Bihn (known locally as 'The Olive Lady' for her years of experience in tending a medium-scale olive orchard, closer to town)is in discussions with Samantha at McEvoy to develop an action plan for the provision of a Do-It-Yourself kit and instructions for ridding the immediate area of further Olive Fruit Fly invasions. These two experts are hoping to connect with a garden center in the area with whom to collaborate so that Petalumans are able to access the correct materials to tackle this major problem.
I'll keep you posted on this story as it develops. If you have olives on your property and would like to have more information in the meantime, reply to this post and I'll put you in touch with the Olive Lady.
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