Olive Oil - Italian vs. California

Epicurean Exploits - Food and Recipes
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One of our local favorites:

Also, I’d recommend our own Gloria Schaefer’s:
http://akomazoume.com/store/item/oliveoil

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The only Californian olive oils I use are the ‘O’ fruit-infused olive oils. We get our Tuscan Olive Oils from Rare Wine Co.

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For everyday use I get Greek olive oil. Very tasty.

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I’ve been buying from Lucero for almost 10 years. All of the EVOO’s are great. 1 gallon jugs used to be offered but they have since received high profile awards and commendations and raised their sales and marketing game. No longer a need to move it in bulk. Their Chef’s Blend (a blend of whatever remains of their single olive EVOO’s) is still available in jugs which is what I use for cooking.

On the Italian side, Rocca di Montegrossi’s oil is excellent. K&L sells it. Probably imported along with the wine so, hopefully, well cared for.

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We also did not harvest – not worth it in 2011.

Question – How long officially does olive oil last? I see marked changes in the first month(the oil is absolutely alive) and then again about 3-6 months the oil changes from a pungent peppery oil to a more buttery state. The oil stays about the same for some time afterwards and didnt know what others experiences were.

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One of the few things I buy from Garagiste: vintage, grower produced olive oil. I keep them in the fridge and they are generally truly stellar.

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With Olive Oil the key date is the bottling date. Once it is bottled, it starts to deteriorate. Most oils will last a year or so. The more pungernt ones will last 6 months longer due to their higher acidity. Generally, OO shoiuld be consumed the week the bottle is opened.

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That is completely impractical for me. Are there steps I can take to protect freshness and extend shelf life after opening?

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We get ours from Still Waters in East Paso Robles. It comes from 100 year old olive trees and is by far the best local olive oil I can find. Highly aromatic and spicy, almost too intense on its own. I buy 6 bottles at a time and store them with my wine. They also come with a regular cork closure (not screw cap or T) so they last a little longer as far as I can tell.

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Hi Robert. Buy the smallest bottles you can. We use 250ML instead of 375s. Never buy OO in a clear pastic or glass bottle. Gas the oil once opened the way you would wine. Keep it in a cool dark place. OO and wine are similar in that both are adversely impacted by light and heat. [cheers.gif]