Tom Wilmer reports from Templeton, California.
Olive trees and olive oil have been an integral part of the human experience for thousands of years.
The olive was native to Asia Minor and spread from Iran, Syria and Palestine to the rest of the Mediterranean basin more than 6,000 years ago.
Olives have been found in Egyptian tombs dating from 2,000 BC.
Since the ancient days in Greece, the olive branch has been a metaphor for peace, and Olympic winners were crowned with a wreath of olive branches.
Greeks and Romans used the olive branch as a symbol of reconciliation, signifying the end of conflicts and the pursuit of harmony.
The phrase "to extend an olive branch" still resonates today as a gesture of peace and goodwill. Franciscan monks planted olive trees at their California missions and some of the trees are still producing fruit.
With Olive oil, unlike wine, fresher better--with an optimum shelf life of no more than two years.
As an aside, there’s an old brick two-story commercial building on the corner of Higuera and Chorro Streets in downtown San Luis Obispo (796 Higuera).
Built in 1925, the land was originally the site of San Luis Obispo Mission’s olive tree orchard planted in the 1790s by mission padres.
One day about forty years ago I was standing on sidewalk admiring the building’s detailed architectural detailing along the second-floor façade.
A gentleman, who must have been at least 80 years old at the time said, “look up and you will notice a repeat motif of masonry embossed blocks with a dove of peace clutching olive branches, running the length of the building.
He said he was friends with the architect who designed the building back in the 1920s. The architect told him that they included the homage to honor the site’s previous locale as the Mission’s olive orchard.
Following a move from France, Clotilde and Yves Julien opened Olea Farms in Templeton, California in 2002 when they discovered that the Central Coast was graced with an ideal climate for growing olive trees and producing award-winning olive oil.
To discover the back story of producing olive oil and how how best to cook with olive oil, as well as insights about its incredible anti-occident health benefits, correspondent Tom Wilmer met with Clotilde and Yves a while ago, before they sold Olea Farms to the current owners Karen and Rick Roach.
There are quite a few producers of olive oil on the California Central Coast. We stopped in for a visit with an olive oil producer in Templeton, California, Victor Roberts, owner of Victor Hugo Winery, located on El Pomar road.
Come along and join the conversation with Vic, following the conversation with Clotilde and Yves.
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