Tag: olive oil

April 25, 2011 General Ag News and Notes Post a Comment

Growing olives on Maui topic of speaker

WAILUKU – The Italian American Social Club will host a potluck dinner Tuesday with a discussion on the prospect of growing olives on Maui.

The event at 6 p.m. in St. Theresa Church’s Stawasz Hall will feature speaker Alan Battersby.

Battersby owns and operates the new Calasa Gulch Olive Tree Farm in Upcountry.

He promised to bring a “little touch and taste” of Italy with his green, black and purple olives. Battersby not only wants to grow olives but also produce olive oil on the island.

He also will discuss the history of the farm and its future, according to a news release from the Italian American Social Club. He has about 2,000 olive trees in various stages of growth on his villa-style property as well as grapes and assorted Italian herbs and fruits on about 20 acres, according to other news reports on Battersby’s olive venture.

The public is welcome to the meeting.

For more information, contact Don Tedesco at 214-6366 or email him at dstedesco@gmail.com.

Growing olives on Maui topic of speaker – Mauinews.com | News, Sports, Jobs, Visitor’s Information – The Maui News

December 8, 2010 General Ag News and Notes, Vegtables Post a Comment

Roasted beets are sweet treat

One of the most popular root vegetables is beets, the root of a plant whose greens are edible and delicious, too. Plentiful at this time of year, especially on the mainland when root vegetables are abundant, beets have been elevated from boiled and canned status to gourmet with new cooking techniques and varieties.

Salads of roasted red beets with goat cheese come to mind as the epitome of beet preparations of recent years. Golden or yellow beets have made their appearance as well as chioggia beets, the two-toned striped beets of Italian origin. Pickled, roasted, steamed, pureed or raw, beets are part of our contemporary tables.

When buying beets, it’s better to buy them with their tops so you can see how fresh it is — droopy greens indicate age. But beets hold up well when stored in the refrigerator. There’s no way to tell whether a beet is sweet except to eat it; knowing your beet grower can help you get fresh, sweet and firm beets.

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