Episode 921 - A Divine Intervention  

A man with a mission is helping to preserve California’s olive agricultural history! Dan Sciabica’s mission - literally and figuratively - is to help the Dominican Sisters at Mission San Jose continue their long tradition of olive oil making. The olive trees have roots dating all the way back to the early days of California’s history when Catholic priests came west to establish the missions and brought new foods to the frontier including what we know today as California olives. Thanks to health conscious consumers, California olives are more commonly showing up in the kitchen in the form of olive oil. And industry experts are predicting California’s production of olive oil will increase by 500% by 2013.

California Heartland Video Extra Learn where the “Mission” Olive originated and where it got its name. Jonathan Sciabica from Nick Sciabica and Sons shares interesting factoids about olives and making extra virgin olive oil. California Heartland Video Extra How did Sister Donna “Maria” get her name? Watch it here!

California Heartland’s Rob Stewart goes with Dan to the Mission San Jose Motherhouse to meet his olive partner Sister Karen Elizabeth Zavitz and sees how this unlikely team is both preserving California’s history and contributing to one of the state’s hottest commodities. 

Dan picks and processes the olives from the Motherhouse for free, which the nuns sell as olive oil. Stewart also takes a walk back in time and hears how the Mission San Jose played a huge role in agriculture and olives. The Mission is home to the oldest Mission olive orchard in the state.

Additional Info:

Sciabica's Olive Oil
www.sciabica.com

The Dominican Sisters of Mission San Jose
www.msjdominicans.org

Explore the rest of Episode 921