The Olive Harvest

When you get an invitation that includes the phrases:
Olive Party and Everything but the Squeal! on the same page
You sort of have to consider it. Right?
Sunday I attended a most amazing and unique party. Pamela and Denise's annual Olive Harvest Party in Glen Ellen, CA! 
Two themes intertwined:  harvesting the olives from their decades-old olive trees and then celebrating by indulging in a feast centered around Pamela's recreation of Spanish pork dishes she learned how to make after reading John Barlow's book about his culinary travels through Northern Spain. We're talking "trotters," "cocida," "pig bladder pudding."  Read the book or attend next year's party to figure out what that is. (my camera malfunctioned at dinner)
Foodies were in force. Everyone brought side dishes but we're not talking Safeway potato salad (almost...but I brought 2 btls of wine instead...). Let's put it this way, Laurine of "Top Chef" was in attendance. Local foods. Roasted veggies.  Gourmet cheeses. Colorful dishes. 

An eclectic group from San Francisco to Seattle (and Texas). Beverage in hand, everyone gravitated to either picking and raking olives out of the trees or scooping them up off the tarps and into the bins. I heard German, Spanish and French. When all four trees were harvested we took a break for...what else...pulled pork sliders and hot links. 

Then we loaded the olive bins onto a truck and paraded the half mile or so down to Figone's Olive Oil Co.  The weigh-in was around 250 lbs or so. That's around 4 gallons of fresh, hand-picked olive oil. Visit Frank Figone's Certified Organic Olive mill or at least follow the link and read all about this place. They process the locals' olives. If you only have a small quantity, it goes into the community batch and you get back the % that you put in. Figone's oils are milled, blended and bottled right on site. We got the tour and then a tasting. He also has some great infused oils using real fruit zests, no powders or artificial flavors. 

Back to their house for the carnival of pork. The crowd kept growing, the wine kept flowing and the festivities continued on into the evening. Great events are sometimes punctuated by how unique they are. This is true of the Olive Harvest Party.  Denise and Pamela - what a great day. An unusual and wonderful way to spend time with friends - old and new!

ps - the Cowboys capped the day by beating the hated Eagles!