Texas Olive Ranch will be open for visitors to observe the largest olive harvest in Texas history on September 14-15, 2010 from 9 am to 2pm. The 2010 Gold Crush Texas Olive Harvest is expected to be the most abundant in Texas olive agriculture history. During visitors hours, mechanical harvesting and the complete process of pressing extra virgin olive oil will be open for view: harvester operation, weighing fruit bins, filling the mill hopper, and milling the new oil, or 'Oliva Nueva,' the Tex-ified version of the Italian "Olio Nuovo." We will be sampling remarkably spicy, flavorful Oliva Nueva as it is produced. Hats and boots are recommended. Texas Olive Ranch is between Asherton, Texas and Carrizo Springs, Texas on CR 1557, about two hours southwest of San Antonio by car. Overnight visitors are encouraged to make reservations for accommodations early as space is limited.

On Tuesday, September 14, the USDA and Texas Olive Oil Council are sponsoring Olive Oil Field Day, a seminar to provide information about olive agriculture in Texas (agenda). Todd Staples, Texas Agriculture Commissioner, will be speaking at noon. After the seminar, there will be a soapmaking demonstration by Kathy White, KatNip Natural Bath & Body, Clear Lake. Orchard and presshouse tours will be ongoing during the day both days.

During the harvest event, PBS will be filming a documentary about the Texas olive industry. Texas Olive Trails follows the emergence of olive agriculture in the historically innovative agricultural Winter Garden region of the Middle Rio Grande in South Texas, along with the challenges of weather, water availability, rocks, varmints and more.

Texas Olive Ranch is the largest olive orchard in Texas and at present is the only commercial producer in the state. The high density orchard is comprised of 40,000 olive trees of varieties Arbequina, Arbosana, and Koroneiki. The orchard is harvested mechanically and the olives are processed within 3 hours of harvesting in the on-site Alfa Laval olive mill. Texas Olive Ranch olive oil was recently compared to other commercially available olive oils in a research study conducted by Dr. Nasir Malik of the USDA Agricultural Research Station at Weslaco, which found Texas Olive Ranch olive oil to be superior in quality. http://www.ars.usda.gov/research/publications/publications.htm?SEQ_NO_115=246285

For more information, please call Karen Lee, 512-466-3816, or Jim Henry 214-325-5787