Olive Oil Adventure

It’s here…

The latest release (and first of this harvest season) is now available. Beth just returned from a Marin farmer’s market and sold nearly every bottle that she had! If you’ve tried Verde, you know why people are crazy for it. I mean, it’s the SOLE reason that I wanted to become an olive oil baron. If you’ve never tried an olive oil that is fresh from the mill, you haven’t yet lived. It’s spicy, hot, green, fruity and oh so freakin’ delicious.  Liquid Gold.

Check it out on our website, you’ll love it.

Did I mention that it is reeeeeally good for you too?

Yesterday, we went through our initial inspection to become certified organic. After completing the rafts of paperwork to create our Organic System Plan, (It seems odd to me that I needed to print so many pages… Not quite a sustainable activity.), having that reviewed, then revising the paperwork for the third time, the big day arrived. The inspector spent about 4 and a half hours with us, going over all of the tiniest details. We walked the orchard, looking for any place where pesticides or herbicides might drift onto our property from the neighboring homes and ranches. We discussed our plans for inter-planting the orchard and how we would tend the trees, old and new. Then, we traced a single bottle of olive oil backwards; from our bottle to bottling machine to bulk storage to the orchard to the very day those olives were picked and finally to the tree and how that tree was tended. It really was quite amazing to see how the inspector put all of the pieces into their respective places.

After this experience, I can (sorta) see why it is so expensive to produce an organic product. The detail that is required, along with the paperwork, is very daunting. I’m skimming over the fact that we can use none of the nasty chemicals that make farming an easier chore. Those that we are allowed to use are two to three times more expensive than conventional, man-made chemicals. Add to that the fact that organic farming requires more manual labor. All in all, the equation is difficult to solve.

So, pending some unforeseen problem, the 2009 release of our Sylverleaf Estate will be 100% certified organic! We’re very excited by this prospect and hope that you are too.

Hi, my name is Beth Sylver. I am a small town girl, born and raised in Cape Cod, Massachusetts. I now live in the small northern California town of Loma Rica (rich hills) with my husband Gene and various and sundry animals. We have been living here in an olive orchard since September of 2001, but it seems like a lifetime.

We moved from Petaluma, CA to this little Sierra Foothills town because the rapid growth and rising cost of living propelled us to consider moving elsewhere. Plus, I met a client-turned-friend at Twisted Vines in downtown Petaluma who resides in Rough and Ready (near to Loma Rica). I said, “There’s no place called Rough and Ready!??” Thus began our search…

After a short period of time, we happened upon this inland, open-spaced, RURAL region and knew it felt right. That’s basically how we landed here, smack dab in the middle of a very old olive orchard, thirty minutes to the nearest major grocery store. Please check out our website for a more detailed story.

We now make award winning, world renowned extra virgin olive oil. What else could we do, surrounded by olive trees? People often ask me what it’s like to be in this new role as farmer and olive oil maker. It must sound so glamorous to those who haven’t worn these gloves or walked in these boots. Indeed, it is a magical feeling to bring these ancient beauties back to life, but there are days when they conquer us completely. You might not believe it, but Gene and I really moved to the country so we could slow down!

That’s not exactly what happened…

We’re still not 100% sure how we got “here,” but we’re most certainly glad we did. Hopefully, I can entertain and educate you with these tales of my EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil) Adventure. I’ll attempt to amuse you with daily happenings on the farm, silly moments, crazy weather and introduce the animals that add so much to Sylverleaf. Finally, I’ll throw in some recipes using our olive oil and keep you updated on any olive oil related issues.

We’ll see what happens, together…

Olive the Best,

Beth Sylver
Sylverleaf Olive Oil