For centuries, the olive branch has been a symbol of peace and the olive tree itself is considered sacred. Olives are small, oily fruits that date back to 3,000 B.C. They are native to the Mediterranean area, but eventually became a part of California’s agricultural scene. Franciscan missionaries from Mexico planted the first olive orchards here in the 1700’s. Now, California is the nation’s leading olive producer.

There are over 33,000 acres of olive orchards in California, mainly in the San Joaquin Valley and in the Northern Sacramento Valley. While some of the olives are used to make olive oil, 95% of California’s olives end up in a can.

The Tri Valley Growers plant in Madera processes 72 million cans of olives every year and uses a 100% wastewater recycling system. All of the olives are grown by California farmers like Kathy and Marshall Woodson of Corning.

Kathy and Marshall farm seventeen acres in Corning, which is known as "The Olive City." Their old orchards produce three types of olives called sevillanos, ascolanos, and manzanillas. At harvest time, every olive is hand picked as soon as it reaches a light green color. But, some of the olives will end up black and some will stay green. During the curing process, air bubbles in the water and a coloring step change the olive’s color from green to black. The curing solution changes the olive's taste. All olives are extremely bitter before the curing process.

If you are interested in sampling a variety of California olives, you can visit The Olive Pit in Corning. The Olive Pit offers taste tests of over thirty different types of olives from traditional pimento-stuffed olives to jalapeno olives. The store is located about two hours north of Sacramento off Interstate 5 at the Corning Road exit. For more information, call 1-800-OLIVE PIT.

Now, here is a delicious recipe from the kitchen of olive grower Kathy Woodson.

Easy Wraps

4 flour tortillas
1 large onion, chopped
3 Tbs. butter or margarine
2/3 cup wheat germ, vacuum packed regular
1 1/2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese
3 hard cooked eggs, chopped
1/2 cup ripe S&W or OBERTI olives, sliced
2 Tbs. minced parsley, optional
1/2 tsp. salt

Cut tortillas in half. Heat a few at a time on oven rack at 350 F for one minute or heat in microwave 12-15 seconds to soften. Quickly roll each half into a cornucopia and place seam side down to cool.

Cook onion in butter over medium heat until translucent, approximately 5 minutes. Add wheat germ and chili powder. Cook, stirring, 2 minutes longer. Add cheese, eggs, olives, parsley and salt. Continue to cook, stirring until heated through. Spoon into tortilla wraps. Makes 4 servings, two wraps each. This recipe is easily doubled. Serve with a salad of sliced tomatoes and avocados. Preparation time is 20 minutes.

Enjoy!!!

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