Today was a day away from the ordinary....we visited an olive mill! When I think of olives I think of Spain, Portugal ...the Mediterranean area. But the Queen Creek Olive Mill is a family owned company right in Queen Creek, AZ., south of Phoenix. This area was chosen for the combination of long sunny days and cool desert nights which is ideal for growing conditions. Olive trees our highly drought resistant and can even tolerate frost, however, not for a long period of time.
- Arizona's only working olive mill and farm.
At Queen Creek Mill, they grow and press olives to produce a hand-crafted, pesticide free extra virgin olive oil (EVOO). This is the oil that is the most beneficial for preventing heart disease and enhancing health with its antioxidant properties. We took the 30-minute/$5 tour and had a trainee guide who did a great job in educating us in the history of their mill and the process of making EVOO.
- Our "trainee " tour guide who did an excellent job...olive tree behind her.
The mill has over 800 trees and the groves contain over 16 different varieties of olives. In a few weeks the trees will start to bud and the growing season will begin. Harvest season is in the fall. A tarp is placed under the tree and a special type rake is used to pull the olives off the tree. If you happen to visit in the harvest season you can actually see the production of the oil.
Olives harvested in their green ripe stage will yield oil that has a grassy, bitter and peppery taste and a long shelf life. The olives that are purple, and thus riper, have a buttery and fruitier profile but does not keep well at all. So the Master Blender must determine when and what to harvest to produce the style of oil they want. It is a very short window of 2-3 weeks to capture and create their distinctive oil....that is why there are so many different kinds of olive oil each with their own unique flavor and stability. Queen Creek prefers a blend of 60% purple and 40% green to produce their distinctive flavor.
Olive oil is manufactured after crushing and pressing the fruit of olive. The oil is then graded according to quality and its best graded is the Extra Virgin Olive oil. It has the best flavor, odor and maximum acidity among all kinds of olive oils. EVOO is considered purer than Fine Virgin Oil and used for salads, stews, soups and other dishes. It is supposed to add a richness and subtle flavor to food that ordinary, semi-fine or pure olive oil does not give.
The mill has a gourmet market where you can buy all their products plus many "local" food products and crafts. There is a huge variety of EVOO cooking oils, tapenades, stuffed olives, and dipping oils, to name a few. Samples are available to taste everything so you will definitely know what you are buying. And you can also eat at del Piero, their Mediterranean bistro, with a wonderful selection of gourmet sandwiches, made-from-scratch salads and soups, freshly baked bread, gelato, fresh-baked cakes....need I say more?
- The mill's lush garden , organic grown, with the produce being used in the bistro.
Products of the Queen Creek Olive Mill can be purchased online at their website..
Queencreekolivemill.com
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