Welcome to American Olive Farmer

If the package insert in your box of fresh olives led you to this page, then you already know one part of our story, that American Olive Farmer is a business built around the olive, and I promised to leave you a link to help with your olives.

Start here: American Olive Farmer Reader's Guide to UC ANR Safe Olive Production

Others of you entered directly from a search on our website while you were looking for another olive-related item. Now that you're here, welcome!

My name is Liz and this page will take you on a "walk around my shop".

Introduction to American Olive Farmer

The common thread at American Olive Farmer is the culture surrounding the olive:

growing your own olive trees or giving an olive tree as a gift
home curing and preserving fresh (raw) olive fruit
authentic extra virgin grade or artfully co-milled flavored olive oil from California fruit, and the discernment of quality or nuances in flavors.
enjoying objects made from olivewood
access to authentic Modenese balsamic vinegar, including a hard to find affinato grade traditional balsamic vinegar.

As a trained olive oil taster and a long-time factory sourcing and product development professional, I'm pleased to offer tools of the trade for the sensory evaluation of olive oil to my colleagues in the industry: producers, researchers, tasting room owners, culinary schools, and even the at-home enthusiast.

You won't find a collection of olive-themed novelty gifts here; that's not our purpose. I've set a high standard for what we offer with regard to on provenance, purpose, usefulness, flavor, and beauty.

More about our business structure: About American Olive Farmer

Let's begin with Olive Oil

Lucero Olive Oil® is our olive oil brand, and olive oil has been central to my work for many years. The collection includes California extra virgin olive oils with distinctly different personalities—from approachable oils for everyday cooking to oils with enough character to explore at the tasting bench.

You will also find oils made with ingredients such as fresh lemon, basil, and roasted garlic for the many moments when dinner needs less complication rather than more.

Olive Oil Collection

Aceto Balsamico di Modena

The pinnacle of balsamic vinegar is the traditional vinegar of Modena, and our offering is a hard to find affinato grade in generous American-sized bottles and, frankly, ridiculously low prices for this grade because we purchase in 1,000 liter batches and bottle in California.

Our affinato has cult status among cognoscenti, drawn to it's relatively high acid and artfully balanced fruit sugars from sangiovese, lambrusco, and trebbiano grapes.

The rosé (rosato) is made from pinot noir, and the white (bianco) from pinot grigio.

Three fruit infused vinegars complete the selection, each chosen for its usefulness in the kitchen.

Balsamic Vinegar Collection
About Balsamic Vinegar Essay (must read): Tell me More About Balsamic Vinegar

Fresh Olives, Annual Fall Season Offering

Offering fresh raw olives throughout 48 US states is the most elemental and rewarding thing we do.

Olives are an annual crop with bloom time in May, and harvest for green (low-oil) table olives around September. We have developed a network of growers who provide fruit to us daily during harvest, which we clean, size, grade, and pack so our patrons can cure them according to family traditions, often highly regional.

When weather allows, we also offer ripe olives for dry or salt cures, too.

He Who Plants a Tree, Plants a Hope

The inspiring words "He who plants a tree, plants a hope" are found in the first stanza of 19th century American poet, Lucy Larcom's work "Plant a Tree". I've chosen it as the message that appears on any gift tree for which no personalized message is desired.

The following four stanzas in her poem continue to capture our gift tree philosophy, leading with "He who plants a tree, plants joy...plants peace...plants youth...", (explained as immortality), and finally, "plants love...". Regardless of the milestone being acknowledged, or if a literal olive branch is being offered to a broken relationship, at is foundation, giving an olive tree is about planting love.

Olive Trees at American Olive Farmer: Olive Tree Gifts

From Tree to Table, Quite Literally

Olive trees must be pruned to remain productive, and rain-fed trees from central Tunisia's Sfax region yield remarkably varied grain patterns due to the harsh conditions. Lack of human irrigation systems in this locale also means that the trees are planted quite far apart to reduce competition for scarce moisture, and thus those trees grow to an immense size. All of this is to say, we can offer olivewood that is sustainably sourced, and lovely to use.

See the current collection: Shop AOF Olivewood
Read about olivewood: The Beauty of Olivewood
Care for olivewood: Thoughts on the Care of Olivewood

Cook with Us

Our recipes offer both a personal touch and an insight into how we eat at home. Influences include Donald growing up with a mom who shopped for fresh ingredients and encouraged children to cook, the two of us growing up in the SF Bay Area during the rise of "gourmet shops" and "California Cuisine", Donald being a caterer, restaurant pastry chef, and cooking teacher, and my many years with Williams-Sonoma and other retailers all contribute to what you read.

I've created a separate section on the site with practical guides, essays, and stories about the people behind agriculture, food, and cooking.

Recipes
Convivial Conversation Blog