Texas is known worldwide for her large ranches and farms. The
King Ranch and Kenedy Ranch in south Texas are synonymous with expansive land
ownership. But in this same south Texas area lays a unique ranch of sorts. It
doesn’t raise cattle. It doesn’t raise goats or sheep and it doesn’t lease land
for white tail deer hunting. There is no cotton, rice, oranges or grapefruits
grown here. The love of this rancher is olives. That’s right! You heard me
correctly, olives. The Texas Olive Ranch is the largest olive growing operation
in Texas. There are about 40,000 trees growing in their current south Texas
location and they are in the middle of adding 300,000 new olive trees on 383
acres northeast of Victoria.
Suzanne and I ran across their olive oils at our local HEB
grocery store in the Houston area. The olive oils are high quality and they
offer unique flavored versions such as Rattle Snake Cracked Pepper &
Chipotle Chili Olive Oil, Mesquite Olive Oil, and Rio Orange Olive Oil (our
favorite!) Being one who enjoys Texas products; I had to learn more about this
venture in agricultural excellence. Back to the internet I went to find out all
I could about growing olives in Texas and the results were a bit surprising. It seemed that although olive trees could be
grown in the southern areas of Texas, the commercialization of olive production
was unproven. We decided that we needed to go to the source to learn more. With
Suzanne’s tenacity to fulfill our desire to visit the ranch, she was able to
contact the owners of the Texas Olive Ranch for a visit near harvest time.
If you have ever traveled to South Texas, you have experienced
the loneliness of nature’s trails. It’s a large expanse of wasteland with
pockets of life sprinkled about. As we journeyed along the roads, all we saw
were fence lines, cactus and scattered brush. Houses are few and far between.
Our trek took us to the outskirts of Carrizo Springs, a small town full of life
and vitality surrounded by a hostile environment. Here, among the numerous ranches and deer
leases outside of town was a luscious, green oasis of trees. This island of greenery, over sixty acres of
olive trees, was waiting to share her bounty of rich oils with those who have
the passion and patience to nurture her.
Pulling into the private road of the ranch, we were greeted
by Karen Henry who was headed out to town for some needed supplies. Her husband
and grovemaster, Jim Henry was working in the olive grove about halfway down
the road. As we drove up the road and parked our car, he quickly came out of
the olive grove to greet us. In short time, Jim was explaining how the arbequina
olives are grown and picked. Due to the
extreme Texas heat, they now pick the olives at night. The passion in his eyes
and the tone of his voice expressed his love of olives. This is a man who
enjoys his work! Every question we asked was answered.
Jim, along with growers from California, recently testified
before US International Trade Commission regarding the unfair trade practices
that provide significant price advantages to imported oils. There is a long history of fraud in the olive
oil industry. In fact, Jim pointed out that the character of Vito Corleone “The
Godfather” was based on a real life convicted criminal, Joe Profaci, also known
as “the olive oil king”. We were
surprised to learn that well over 60% of imported olive oils labeled as “extra
virgin” are in fact either blended with inferior olive oils or cut with other
kinds of oils such as canola or hazelnut oil. So before you buy your next
bottle of extra virgin olive oil, think about where it came from. If the price
sounds too good to be true, it probably is not pure extra virgin olive oil. Who
would have known?
“When it comes to olive oil, freshness counts,” Jim explained
as he cut open and squeezed a ripe olive straight from a tree letting the oil
fall into the palm of his hand. The age
of the oil affects both the taste and the nutritional value. Cooking with locally produced olive oil
ensures a fresh great tasting product with all the heart healthy benefits we
expect. Oils shipped from faraway places
are more likely to be less fresh due to shipping restraints. It’s like buying
locally grown ripe fruits and vegetables verses fruits and vegetables picked
before they are ripe in foreign countries or states. It makes a difference!
After learning all we could in the
orchard, Jim suggested we drive to the back of the ranch and view the oil pressing
machinery. He walked us through each of
the steps in the oil production process. The by-product (the olive fruit) is also
collected and processed for animal feed or fertilizers. Sitting in the middle
of the production facility in folding chairs and joined by his wife Karen, who
is the managing director of the Texas Olive Oil Council, we listened to their
stories and accomplishments in the olive oil business. My favorite story was
about an agriculture expert from a prominent Texas university who was quoted as
saying that growing olive trees as a business in Texas was impossible. Jim
invited the professor to visit his olive oil operation but the professor
refused to acknowledge the commercial viability of the business. My take on
this story is, “Never tell a Texan he can’t do something big because the Texan will
make you look small in return!”
We left the Texas Olive Ranch fully appreciating the fact
that the Texas frontier spirit is alive and well in south Texas. Here is a man who had a vision and against all
odds is creating a new industry in the state where they said it couldn’t be
done. I believe one day olive farms will be as popular as vineyards. The
winners will be us, the consumer who will be able to buy fresh certified extra
virgin olive oils in Texas. There is so much more to their story so I suggest
you check out their website. As for Suzanne and I, we will continue on down the
road as we see Texas Thru My Back Door!
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