TOP SHED OLIVES

Iain and Cath Stevenson have a small olive and pistachio tree grove and also agist cattle on their property 'Edenvale'.

In mid October the Pistachio trees should be flowering; flowering occurs as these deciduous trees are leafing out. Pistachios are a plant which has separate sex trees (male or female, and the different sex flowers are distinct in appearance); one normally plants about six female trees (which bear the nuts) for each male tree. The oldest pistachios have been growing for 6 years and we hope to get our first usable crop in 2010.

Iain and Cath originally planted their olive grove in 2000, entirely with oil olives. Starting in 2004, they developed a table olive operation which has resulted in substantial replanting of their olive grove with table varieties. The olive trees will be in bud in mid-October; they flower in this district in mid-late November, and the fruit ripens in April/May.

Olives cannot be eaten straight from the tree, as they contain a bitter compound which must be removed to make the fruit palatable. Traditional methods, used here, can take several months.

Iain and Cath bottle 3 varieties of whole olives, (Kalamata, Manzanilla and Frantoio), prepare marinated olives, and also produce a tapenade (a savoury olive paste), a Moroccan style olive paste flavoured with a North African spice mix, and a jam made with Kalamata olives, (Kalamata Konserve), which is in many ways comparable to cranberry sauce, and also combines well with blue cheese! They also produce extra virgin olive oil.

On your visit, you will be able to try all these olive products, and talk to Iain and Cath about olives and olive growing, and what to look for in olive products.

Iain & Cath Stevenson,
Top Shed Olives,
122 Drip Lane,
Cooyal, NSW 2850

FARMWALK DIRECTIONS:
Leave Mudgee on the Cassilis Rd.
Travel 10 km to the junction of the Wollar Road.
Turn Right onto Wollar Road, and follow for 13 km.
When you reach the Cooyal Tennis Club courts, the Cooyal Hall and the Bushfire Brigade Shed (on the left), then turn left onto Linburn Lane (about 300 metres past the hall), anf then almost immediately bear right onto Drip Lane (signposted). Follow Drip Lane over the creek causeway and after 1.2 km, our property, named 'Edenvale' and numbered 122, is on the right. There will be signs indicating where to park; there will be about 50 metres walk from here to the Olive Shed (large yellow shed).

Start time 10-30 am on that day - if lost, people can call 6373 5490 for directions.