Monday Review- Olinda Ridge Olive Oil

This Monday Review is brought to you by Olinda Ridge Olive Company, a family-owned and operated producer of extra virgin olive oils. Based in northern California, the company manges over 9000 olive trees, each over one hundred years old. Using organic farming methods, olives are hand-picked when ready and pressed immediately to preserve freshness.

We use a lot of olive oil in our kitchen. It is my oil of choice for sauteing and as an ingredient in breads, pizza dough and baked goods. I tried Olinda Ridge's Estate Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil. It's fruity flavor is evident as soon as the bottle is opened. It smells really good. Uncap your store brand of olive oil and take a sniff. How does it smell? Olive oil should smell good- who knew? The olive oil tastes better too. It can be used right out of the bottle as a dip or as part of a marinade or for sauteing.

According to a representative at Olinda Ridge, "We've had several customers purchase our organic olive oil because it is depitted. For people who are allergic to olive pits, this olive oil is safe as we don't crush the pit in with the olive meat. It is the pit they are allergic to, not the oil itself."

Check out the Olinda Ridge website. You'll find recipes and an informative article about "the art of tasting olive oil". Their olive oils are available at some Whole Food stores in the U.S. or can be ordered directly from their website. If you sign up to receive their newsletter, you'll get a 15% discount on your order.

One other great thing about this company. They give back to the community by supporting fundraisers through sponsored events. They also hire locally for their picking, processing, bottling and sales functions. Love that!

For more information about food allergies, see the Food Allergy Assistant's website.