Frate Sole Olive Oil Co. - Award Winning Extra Virgin Olive Oil

WOODLAND, CA:
OUR AWARD-WINNING
2007 EXTRA-VIRGIN OLIVE OIL

AVAILABLE IN TWO SIZES
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JOURNAL UPDATES

2007 Autumn and Harvest - By mid-September, the olives had started to turn from green to straw to purple. Our first harvest was conducted on Saturday, October 27, under mild and sunny skies. We took 1,552 pounds of deep purple Frantoio, Leccino and Pendulino olives to the Butte View mill in Polermo. The yield was just over 30 gallons, which is right on target. The oil tasted fruity, fresh and a little grassy. Harvest is truly a blessing, and this year's fruit looks spectacular. The real bounty, however, is the fellowship of friends and family who visit and take part in this traditional event – a true Thanksgiving.

2007 Awards, Fundraisers and Events - Frate Sole did very well in this year's competitions. It earned a gold medal and “Best of Yolo County” at the Yolo County Fair. Now in its third year, this event is growing quickly with more than 60 entries from around the state. Frate Sole earned a silver medal at the Los Angeles International Olive Oil Competition, the only other contest in the United States. Frate Sole continued its tradition of contributing to community projects. A gift basket was donated to the Yolo County Resource Conservation District auction, which supports scholarships for high school agriculture programs. We contributed oil to the Yolo County Land Trust “Day in the Country,” the Woodland Chamber of Commerce's Farm-City Banquet, and the St. James Wine Tasting (and now olive oil tasting) facility fundraiser, as well as its Christmas Auction. Frate Sole also was prominently featured at two events sponsored by the University of California, Davis and Yolo County's Ag Promotions program. The first was a large gathering of local food producers, restaurateurs, and retailers, for the purpose of connecting producers with local markets. The second was a large public gathering at the university's Wolfskill Ranch in Winters, where Frate Sole's upstart oil was tasted alongside the oil from century-old trees planted by the first European farmers. Both were great honors and great fun.

2007 Growing Season - After last year's wild weather, this year's growing season has been much more reasonable. While dryer than normal, we had pleasant weather through pollination in late April and early May. A warm June encouraged the olives to grow strong and steady. A few hot days in mid-summer were welcomed as a natural defense against the olive fruit fly. We have never had an infestation, and made it through another year without one. A survey of trees in September showed that one-third of the orchard is heavily loaded with fruit, and about half of the trees are moderately loaded. The trees that are light on fruit most likely were loaded last year, as olives grow on one-year-old wood and so tend to be alternate bearing.

April 2006 - In The Land of Frate Sole - In April this year, we were able to experience the grace-filled hill’s of Assisi, where St. Francis was so enraptured by the gifts of creation that in his final years he crafted his canticle or song of thanksgiving to Brother Sun (Frate Sole) and Sister Moon (Sora Luna). We walked the cobbled streets of the town, and hoofed our way up Mount Subasio. We marveled at the groves of olives that wrap like a blanket around the hillside town. We visited San Damiano, the little church that St. Francis rebuilt, and the San Francesco Basilica, the giant church built after his death by those who were so inspired by his truthful life. His legacy is not attested in stone, but in the spirit-filled hearts of those who recognize the power, as demonstrated by Francis, of divine compassion and respect, humility and wonder. We took away an even deeper commitment to honor life and whistle while we work.

Spring 2006 - The late rains have delayed early fieldwork by at least a month and the cooler temperatures have delayed the bud development on most trees. But because olives are late bloomers, the rain and chilly temperatures have not yet impacted germination. The extra precipitation (if it quits before Cinco de Mayo) should do more good than harm. But as a chemical-free orchard, Frate Sole is even weedier than normal this Easter!

Winter 2006 - Shortly after the harvest was completed, the winter rains began in earnest. And it rained and rained and rained, through December and into January. February was dry, but March and April were both colder and wetter than usual. As April drew to a close, we had received nearly twice the average rainfall of 16 inches. In December and January we “racked” the oil – carefully pouring the liquid gold from one container to another, leaving behind the pinkish residue of solids that have settled to the bottom. In early March, we tasted, blended and bottled the oil to make the most of the different flavors that resulted from different varieties of olives that were harvested at different times. It was a challenging year, but the final product was worth the extra effort.

Our 2005 Journal Archived Here