![]() After months of work with a local soap maker, we are delighted to launch our very first soap. We challenged the soap maker to come up with a pure olive oil soap that contained just our Olive Oil and water. Olive oil has natural antioxidants and makes a creamier lather. We wanted a soap that was soft and gentle on the skin whilst being free of chemicals and additives. After much trial and error we eventually got the right combination (and then asked her to add Lemongrass Essential Oil because it smells so good). The soaps are made using the 'Cold Process' method which takes the most time, but retains the natural goodness of the ingredients. This method requires exact measurements of alkali (such as lye) and oils and six weeks of slow curing to create the final product. There is no lye in the final product as it is reacted with the oils to form soap and glycerin in a process called saponification. This is different to most supermarket soaps which leave the lye in and remove the glycerin. The soaps are now available through our Farmhouse Direct Store, for local delivery to Goolwa residents and via the Mount Compass Farmers Market (see below). ![]() Christmas Gift Packs These were very popular last year so we are bringing them back. This time they also include our new Olive Oil soap. They will be available at the Mount Compass Farmers Markets on the 5th and 19th of December (8am to 12:30pm). Otherwise locals in the Goolwa region can send me an email to arrange home or workplace delivery. Small Pack $20 - 250ml EVOO, 110g Olive Oil Soap, 40g Dukkah Large Pack $35 - 1L EVOO, 110g Olive Oil Soap, 160g Dukkah
0 Comments
We were thrilled to hear that our 2015 EVOO was awarded a Silver Medal at the Adelaide Show this year. This is South Australia's premier olive oil tasting event, and it's obviously great feedback. We don't stick medals onto our products though (you'll just have to trust us - or Google it). If we were going to stick anything extra on our packaging to show the quality of what is inside we would stick on comments from our customers. Here are a few we have received recently: “Oh my gosh...... your Olive Oil has changed my world... seriously, I've never tasted anything like it and am kicking myself for giving some to my mum because now I am scared of running out. Will DEFINITELY be purchasing again :) Thank-you so much!” “With a Croatian background Olive oil has been on the table for ever, so coming across your drop I was very much impressed.” “Best Olive Oil for 20 years....not since Greece can I remember oil like this. Wonderful!!!!!!” “Thank You very much Andrew, your olive oil is the best I have ever tasted in a long time, will buy from you again and buy in a larger order.” Competitions and laboratory analysis are obviously very important feedback for us, however we don't produce olive oil for them. We produce it so that it gets enjoyed in kitchens around Australia. So thank you to everyone who provides us with constant feedback. We really appreciate it! The Mount Compass Farmers Market resumes this weekend after a winter recess. The market opens at 8:30am and finishes up at about 12pm. We'll be there with our Silver Medal winning EVOO every first Saturday of the month over summer, however will have to miss the November market.
The recipe of the month is a lovely Lemon Polenta Cake. The recipe takes up too much room for this email (but it's not difficult) so just click on the image and it will take you to the recipe on our website. Enjoy! The sun is finally starting to come out and warm up the olive trees! They've been reluctant to form buds this year however things are starting to move a long now as they sense the warmer weather. In this months newsletter we introduce you to our new "what is extra virgin olive oil?" website, provide a great egg-free chocolate mousse and bring a fantastic article by TV chef Fast Ed. We've received some great feedback already from our 2015 Harvest, both from customers and from the lab. The lab has placed a very long best before date of two and a half years on it which is a good reflection of its quality. We have decided to reintroduce the 10L bag-in-box this year which is available for local orders for $110. Just fill out the form on our 'Goolwa Orders' page if you would like to order this size. Celebrity chef 'Fast Ed' has written a well researched article on olive oil in Australia and can be found by clicking on the link below and scrolling through to page 75 where the article begins. The main points from his article are:
http://issuu.com/roughcutmagazine/docs/roughcut.issue_2.august2015?e=17020399%2F14767094 I recently read that you should never buy olive oil that is cheaper than $20 per litre because it is likely to be of poor quality. I've tasted many poor quality olive oils that come with a nice label and a high price tag. I've also tasted some brilliant oils that are much cheaper than $20/L. BUT... I've never tasted a bad oil that has been accredited. Always look for this logo. There are some great EVOO's in Australia that carry this logo. This certification is what we are trying to make mandatory in Australia. ![]() I constantly get asked the question "what REALLY is extra virgin olive oil?" As a result I have put together a simple website that clearly and succinctly explains what the 'Extra Virgin' really means. I've also included a short video of a mum that painfully tries to explain what 'virgin' means to her daughter. I hope you find the site both informative and a little humorous! www.whatisextravirginoliveoil.com.au ![]() Chocolate Mousse Ingredients 150g premium dark chocolate 100ml Seaview Grove EVOO 250g thickened cream Fresh berries Method 1. Place chocolate in a heat-proof bowl over a pan of gently simmering water. Stir until melted. 2. Stir in the extra virgin olive oil. 3. In a separate bowl, whip the cream until thickened. Gently fold the cream into the melted chocolate. 4. Serve in a nice glass topped with fresh berries and enjoy! Congratulations to this months winner who receives 40% off from our online store for the month of September. They have been notified by email. All they had to do was be a subscriber to this email list.
Thank you to everyone who purchased our "Straight From The Press" this year. The concept of enjoying olive oil at its absolute freshest, healthiest and tastiest is fast catching on, and we were a little overwhelmed by the orders this year. Next year we will have a new (much faster) filling machine so that we can harvest, process, package and post in 36 hours to even more people. Right now the oil is locked away and settling so that we can remove the sediment. This oil will be available from early August. Remember the best way to taste olive oil is to take a sip of about 20ml. Let it sit at the back of your tongue and then whilst gritting your teeth, suck in some air. The flavour should really hit you at this stage and you can then either spit it out or swallow it. If you do swallow it, you will notice how smoothly it goes down. Wait 5 seconds and then.... BANG!! A really good olive oil will start to burn your throat. These are the healthy polyphenols. Old olive oil (most of what you buy from the supermarket) will leave a soapy residue in your mouth. It has no health benefits and is no fun to taste! Below is a photo of the harvester that we use. We have a video from last years' harvest on our website if you are interested in seeing how this works. The other photo shows how we press the olive oil straight into our unique metallic bags. These 1000L bags keep the oil cool and prevent the oil from coming into contact with air and light.
Firstly, thank you to everyone who have commented on my photo and article in SA Weekend. It's good to see local produce being supported, especially at a time when everyone is starting to question where their food comes from. I'm going to pick up on this point and answer a common question I get about "best before" dates with olive oil. My first point is that olive oil never goes "off" so that you can't consume it. However the quality will decline over time and the oil will become rancid, losing its taste and health benefits. This happens about two years after harvest, depending on how it has been stored, and is determined by a laboratory test. All accredited Extra Virgin Olive Oil has had this laboratory test performed and therefore the "best before" date reflects the time when the oil goes from being "Extra Virgin" to plain old "Virgin". Still completely safe to use, it just lacks the taste and health benefits. HOWEVER!! Don't use this rule for non-accredited 'Extra Virgin Olive Oil.' The law in Australia requires olive oil to have a "best before" date of 2 years from the date of bottling. This means that the oil can sit in a drum for 6 years and then bottled with a further 2 year "best before" marked on it. Choice magazine did a study of supermarket olive oil and found that 90% of olive oil was "off" despite what the "best before" date claimed. Hmmm... Always look for the accreditation logo.
I frequently get asked whether we infuse any flavours into our olive oil, and it certainly seems to be a growing trend for producers to do this. Whilst it's nice to conjure up the image of the producer squeezing fresh limes into the olive oil, in reality 99% (and then some) of those that sell infused olive oil do it by adding a synthetic flavour. Sometimes they'll place a bit of chilli or garlic at the bottom of the bottle to really impress you, but generally speaking these oils will also have the flavour chemically added. This renders the olive oil no longer Extra Virgin as part of the definition of Extra Virgin is "nothing added", although you will see many producers claim that their infused olive oil is Extra Virgin. The variety of olives we use (mainly Barnea) are well suited to blending and adding flavours, however we prefer to add the flavour whilst we are cooking. That way you get a variety of flavours from the one cask and the flavours are REAL, not a chemical out of a bottle. We will often squeeze in some lime or lemon juice when making a salad, but you will find that good quality EVOO works well on its own as a salad dressing. We also like to stand behind the flavour of our oil and not hide it with any added flavours. Adding flavours to poor quality olive oil is a neat way to clear stock, but it's not something we are interested in.
Other News
Why Extra Virgin Olive Oil is so good to fry with. "Olive Oil burns when I fry with it." This is a VERY common observation that I have pointed out to me and my response is always "well stop using poor quality olive oil." Poor quality olive oil has high levels of Free Fatty Acids and will therefore start to "smoke" or "burn" at about 160 degrees Celsius. Choice magazine found that 90% of imported olive oils in Coles and Woolworths fit into this category. Certified Extra Virgin Olive Oil however, with its very low levels of Free Fatty Acids will "smoke" or "burn" at about 210 degrees Celsius making it an ideal choice for frying and even deep frying. Frying also unlocks some of the health benefits of olive oil. Have a look at the infogram below for more information on frying with olive oil or watch this video ( http://vimeo.com/103437395) for proof that you can fry with olive oil. ![]() Honey Salad Dressing Ingredients 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard 1 tablespoon honey 80ml Seaview Grove EVOO 1 tablespoon sesame oil (optional) 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar Method 1. Place mustard, honey and a pinch of salt and pepper in a small glass jar. Mix into a paste. 2. Add oils and vinegar, close the lid tightly and shake. 3. Pour over salad just before serving. ![]() Exciting new venture!Dinner in a broccolini field... We have just signed up as a partner of Out in the Paddock, an exciting new venture that is going to host top notch dinner's in the paddocks of producers using only locally sourced produce. The first one is on the 29th of November at Pitchford Produce in their broccolini field alongside Currency Creek (the actual Creek, not the town). The guy organising it is completely nuts! He has Laura (Masterchef runner-up) doing the cooking (in the paddock), live music, incredible table setting, tour of the farm and much more. Hampers of local produce were sent to media outlets this week (see below). We'll be providing the EVOO and also attending to mingle with guests and talk about how we produce our olive oil. If all goes well, we will be putting our hand up to host a similar dinner in the grove. Imagine having dinner with the backdrop below.... The pouches have proved to be very popular! We have just received 3 VERY large boxes with 1200 empty pouches in them just in time for this weekends Mount Compass Market. Purchase 5 or more and postage is FREE through our online store. In fact any order of $50 or more will always get FREE postage through our online store. Locals (Goolwa and surrounds - and further if you twist my arm) will always get free delivery if you order through our 'Goolwa Orders' page. Mount Compass Produce Market was a great success last month and it is back again on the 1st of November from 8:30am to 1pm. This market is in an ideal location and has some great produce and craft available. There were 16 stallholders last time with many more in the process of signing up. Good things to come!! Honey, Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Lemon Cake I have just uploaded the recipe to this wonderful cake on the recipes page of our website. It is gluten free and no sugar (although truck loads of honey! so not ideal for diabetics). Speaking of which... A new cafe in Strathalbyn has just opened its doors this week. Cafe Emporium, 23 High Street, specialises in Gluten Free and Diabetic friendly food. They also use Seaview Grove EVOO and have various sizes available to purchase. Being in Strathalbyn, they also have plenty of interesting antiques for sale. ![]() Pruning, spraying and irrigationSpring is a wonderful time on an olive grove (and most farms). The harvest is well behind us, the cows have an abundance of grass, the trees are growing and setting buds for next years crops. We have been busy pruning the trees, by far the most time consuming job in the grove. We will finish in mid-October and then prune all of the suckers again in January. Being an organic grove we are very careful with what we spray. In early September each year we spray the grove with white oil (to suffocate the scale) and organic copper (to prevent fungal diseases). Non-organic farmers will spray insecticides at this time of year, however these chemicals also wipe out all of the beneficial wasps, butterflies, dragon flies, etc. We don't need any space suits on our farm when we spray. I don't even wear a mask. I don't need to! You'll also notice that many vineyards and groves will spray round-up at this time of year to kill off all of the weeds and reduce the competition for their trees/vines. I don't mind a few weeds under the trees as they add carbon and other nutrients to the soil so I choose to pull out any noxious weeds by hand and leave nature to sort the rest out. As a result we are left with a great mix of native grasses that outcompete the weeds in our Grove (see photo below). We also mulch all of the prunings and leave them between the rows so that carbon is returned to the soil. Spring is also the time to turn on the irrigation. Every year we start irrigating on the 1st of October, regardless of any recent or predicted rainfall events and will water the trees every second night until mid-April. We give each tree about 25% of the recommended water in a compromise between quality and quantity. The best tasting olive oil is where there has been very low rainfall/irrigation, however the downside is there won't be much olive oil to actually taste. Want a great way to preserve your fresh herbs? Try chopping them up and placing them into ice cube trays, then fill with Extra Virgin Olive Oil and place in the freezer. This is also how I make "butter" out of EVOO. Just place it in a shallow dish then either refrigerate or freeze it to create a firm block of EVOO that is ready to spread onto toast! Every week I receive emails or magazines that contain new health benefits of olive oil. The catchy headlines jump out at me; “More evidence links EVOO with strong bones”, “EVOO consumption can boost IVF success rate”, “Olive oil gives Nigerian babies a cleaner, safer birth”, “EVOO diet helps prevent T2 diabetes”, “…may prevent cancer”. All very impressive, however it needs to be noted that they are usually based on single studies and once read carefully will contain large caveats. Notice also how they all contain statements such as “helps”, “may prevent”, “can” and the like.
There is no doubt that EVOO does contain health benefits, however how do we know what they actually are? In this blog I am going to try to unravel some of the proven health benefits of EVOO, but first of all it is important to note that the health benefits decrease as the oil ages and will be almost non-existent two years after harvest date (depending on how it is stored/packaged), so ALWAYS look for a harvest date when purchasing your olive oil. Remember that “Extra Virgin” appearing on the label DOES NOT mean it necessarily is Extra Virgin. There are no laws in Australia preventing people from mislabeling food products like this so always look for Harvest Date and/or the Australian Olive Association’s Code of Practice logo. Isn’t Olive Oil really high in calories? Yes, olive oil is a fat and therefore high in calories. BUT - it is a good fat and used correctly it will help you lose weight. Good fats (found in olive oil, nuts, seeds, avocados, etc) will help you feel full and prevent overeating by sending a message to your brain. There are plenty of studies to show that people eating good fats daily are leaner. It will also help you burn fat more easily especially around the waist and stomach whilst helping your body absorb vitamins and minerals. If you’re concerned about your caloric intake then cut back on saturated fats and sugar (and I don’t just mean in your coffee. Read the labels of the food you eat. Have you seen how much sugar is in white bread?!) Cardiovascular Disease EVOO contains a unique combination of monounsaturated fats, polyphenols and phytosterols. A diet rich in EVOO has been proven to decrease levels of “bad cholesterol” (LDL) and increase (or maintain) levels of “good cholesterol” (HDL). It has also been proven to reduce high blood pressure (another risk factor for cardiovascular disease) by decreasing both systolic and diastolic blood pressure. Those with diabetes will know that they carry a high risk of developing atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries). Studies in the late 1980’s showed that individuals on a high olive oil intake had improved plasma glucose level and reduced insulin requirements. Gastrointestinal Tract Oleic acid (found in olive oil) inhibits hydrochloric acid secretion and therefore has a beneficial effect on gastric ulcers. It also slows down the rate of gastric emptying making the person feel full earlier than they would otherwise and hence decreasing the intake of food. Oleic acid also plays an important role in the emptying of the gall bladder, thereby decreasing the chance of forming gallstones. Olive oil will also increase the intestinal absorption of some minerals and improve pancreatic function. Does it prevent the big C? Cancer is such a complex issue with many different causes and presentations. There has been a long known link between dietary fat and various types of cancers, and it has been suggested that a diet where fats make up over 40% of the calorie intake encourages the development of breast and colon cancer. The good news though, is that most of the blame for the increased rates of cancer lies with polyunsaturated n-6 fatty acids (soya, sunflower, maize oil, etc). There have been plenty of studies recently that suggest a Mediterranean Diet (high intake of fruit and vegetables, low intake of animal products) results in a low incidence rate of various cancer types. Whilst this includes olive oil, it is important to remember that upping the olive oil intake on its own does not constitute a “Mediterranean Diet.” Other Benefits There is also a large amount of evidence that shows olive oil has antioxidant effects, thus preventing many diseases and even slowing down the onset of ageing. Its anti-inflammatory effects have also been well documented over the last 30 years with even a small amount of evidence pointing towards the benefit of applying olive oil externally to ease pain associated with joint inflammation. What about butter and coconut oil? Many people say that these are good for you too. There is no clear research that these saturated fats are good for you. Coconut oil has had a lot of publicity recently because it has been proven to raise “good cholesterol” (HDL), however it also raises “bad cholesterol” (LDL). The latter being conveniently left out of most reports. There have also been studies that show cultures that consume a lot of coconut oil (e.g. Samoa, Cook Islands) have a lower incidence of heart disease than Western societies, however this fails to look at the differences in the diet as a whole. (Not too many hamburgers were served in the Cook Islands in the 1960’s). There is research that shows the removal of saturated fats (e.g. butter) from a Western diet has little effect on the persons’ health. The lack of change is thought to be a result of substituting the saturated fats with low fat processed sugary foods that wipe out any benefits that could have occurred from deleting saturated fats from the diet. A final note on cooking with EVOO. EVOO is ideal for frying food. Even deep-frying of food. It does not have a low smoking point as is often suggested. Only poor quality olive oil does. EVOO will only start to smoke at about 200 degrees Celsius and is therefore ideal for frying and is a much healthier alternative than other available oils. And a tip for when tasting olive oil… If it burns the back of your throat and makes you cough and splutter, then it contains all of the health benefits! That’s the polyphenols sliding down your oesophagus. So there you go. A brief summary of the main (and well documented) health benefits of EVOO. Remember though that the health benefits are only found in REAL Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Most olive oil in Australia is NOT Extra Virgin (even if the label says it is). The only way to be sure is if it has the Australian Olive Association’s logo on it. |
Andrew DownManager Seaview Grove Archives
December 2015
Categories |