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Welcome to Texas Hill Country Olive Co's Newsletter
By John Gambini (Founder & Co-Owner)
It is so exciting to welcome you to our very first monthly newsletter! Less than a year ago we came up with the
idea to build an olive orchard in Texas. Today, we have joined the small group of true
Texas
agricultural pioneers bringing the olive industry to our great state. We are grateful to that group for welcoming
us on board this great adventure.
We'd also like to extend our thanks to the
Texas Department of Agriculture, Commissioner Todd Staples, and our contacts at
the agency - Richard de los Santos,
Judy Fort, and Beverly Shaw - for their support and encouragement. Without their support through the Go Texan
program, the Texas Olive Industry would not be where it is today.
The purpose of this newsletter will be to
provide information about the day-to-day activities at the orchard, festivals and
events we'll be attending, the growth of our family business, recipes, olive
oil-based products, and anything else we think you might find of interest. If you haven't already done so, we encourage
you to learn about our Adopt an Olive Tree Program so you can become a part of
our family by bringing our Extra Virgin Olive Oil directly to your family all
year long.
Texas Hill Country Olive Oil is dedicated to being the best caretakers of our land and orchard by always using green and totally organic practices so that we can produce the finest Premium Extra Virgin Olive Oil in Texas and the United States.
Welcome to our great adventure! We look forward to seeing you at the orchard
and having you join our family in this wonderful olive business.
Grazie!
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Festivals
By David Swanson (Orchard Administrator/Co-Owner)
We recently attended the Fredericksburg
Food and Wine Festival in Fredericksburg and Festa Italiana in Houston. Both events were fun and good opportunities to meet many people. Both events had a
huge turnout, and it was great talking to so many people. We even got to meet
several people who had adopted trees from us previously. Many adoptions were
made at the festivals (trees are going fast!), and it was a wonderful experience
getting to make adoptions face to face. With the holiday season coming up, we had a very good response to
adoptions as gifts. In fact, our first gift
adoption, a birthday present, has already gone out and will be received in time
for the birthday party.
We look forward to seeing some of you at our next
festival. Keep checking the "Events" section of our website for details on upcoming events.
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Flavor Characteristics of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
By Rick Mensik (Founder/Co-Owner)
I recently attended a sensory perception conference at U.C. Davis University. We were taught to recognize
the flavor characteristics of extra virgin olive oil. These are the most important:
Fruity: Olive oil should have a pleasant, spicy
fruit flavor characteristic of fresh ripe or green olives. Ripe fruit yields oils that are mild, aromatic,
buttery, and floral. Green fruit yields
oils that are grassy, herbaceous, bitter, and pungent. Fruitiness also varies by olive varietal.
Bitter: Olive oil should create a mostly
pleasant acrid flavor sensation on the tongue.
Pungent: Olive
oil should create a pleasant burning sensation in the mouth and throat.
I think you will find these attributes easy to identify
in our 2009 cru. Enjoy a taste today.
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Master Miller's Conference - Sonoma, CA
By Michael
Mensik (Orchard Manager/Co-Owner)
Mike
here, back from the Master Miller's Conference in beautiful Sonoma, California.
The conference was sponsored by the UC Davis Olive Center, in cooperation
with The Olive Press, at the Jacuzzi Family Vineyard. The weekend featured
speaker Paul Vossen, head of the cooperative extension for Sonoma County.
Paul is one of the most respected horticultural experts in the country.
The other
featured speaker was Leandro Ravetti, one of the lead technicians at Boundary
Bend Limited, the single largest olive producer and oil manufacturer in Australia. Leandro
informed us about the Australian oil industry and how the country is putting
hard science behind olive oil production. Australia is also working to raise
awareness of international standards and how local oil is usually far superior
to imported oil because of freshness, among many other factors.
The
conference was a great opportunity to meet other American olive oil producers
and to share knowledge and tips. We're looking forward to future conferences
with our California
and international peers.
I'll be
telling you more about the downside of imported olive oil in the next
newsletter.
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Recipes
Peach CobblerBy Micki Sannar
Printed in Olive Oil Desserts: Delicious and Healthy Heart Smart Baking
Ingredients:
1 15-ounce can peaches, sliced (reserve ½ cup juice)
1/3 cup pure Texas
olive oil
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
½ tsp. cinnamon
1 large egg
1 cup all purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. salt
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly coat medium size
casserole dish with olive oil cooking spray.
In mixing bowl add ½ cup reserved peach juice, olive oil, sugar,
vanilla, cinnamon and egg. Blend on
medium for 1 minute. Add flour, baking
powder, and salt. Blend until smooth. Pour batter into prepared pan. Place peaches on top of batter. For added sweetness, sprinkle with a
tablespoon of sugar. Bake for 45-55
minutes. When top is brown, remove from
oven and serve piping hot with peach ice cream.
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We Are Austin
The local CBS affiliate in Austin, K-EYE, did a "We Are Austin" segment out at the orchard. Please check out the video: We Are Austin - Texas Hill Country Olive Co Segment
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Events
Please look for our booth at the following events:
 11/7/09
Wine Tour and Olive Oil Tasting
Brennan Vineyards
802 South Austin Street
Comanche, Texas 76442More Information: Brennan Vineyards Website
 11/15/09Totally Tejas - San Antonio New World Wine & Food FestivalRio Cibolo Ranch, 1101 Ulrich Rd., Marion, TX 78124More Information: Totally Tejas Website
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An Open Invitation
Your tree loves hugs, so don't be shy about visiting. You're always welcome
to come by the orchard, meet our family and see for yourself how we care for
the grove. It makes our day to talk to you about your tree, olives, olive oil
and their future in Texas.
Please let us know when you're coming. We'll be ready to welcome you,
personally show you to your adopted tree and give you a tour of the rest of the
orchard.
Our nearest airport is in Austin, Texas,
approximately 40 minutes from the orchard. We can send you details of how to find
us, as well as suggestions of places to stay. You're welcome anytime, but we
recommend the spring or fall to get the most from your visit.
P.O. Box 1129
2530 W. Fitzhugh Rd.
Dripping Springs, TX 78620
Phone 512.607.6512
Fax 512.607.6432
www.texashillcountryoliveco.com
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