Figtree Retreat Website Bed & Breakfast page

     Figtree Retreat Olives is a small farm dedicated to totally Organically Grown and Processed Olives. Figtree Retreat offers organic produce which is also made into innovative condiments, pastes and jams. Our flagship is olives but there is also a wealth of different product available farm gate, wholesale or by mail order (see list below).
     We at Figtree Retreat Olives see the key to our success fixed in the Old World practices employed for the curing of our Table Olives. Most, if not all, of the table olives on supermarket shelves contain various additives to speed up curing and to improve the appearance of the product. For example, ferrous gluconate is used to fix the pigment while caustic soda in the form of a lye solution is used to leach out the bitter glucoside called oleuropein. Similarly, various lactic and food acids are used to aid in the fermentation and preservation of olives.
     Standing opposite these processes are the old Greek practices employed by Figtree Retreat Olives. We slit our olives and soak them in pure rock salt and tank water brine for two to four weeks, changing the water every one or two days. Please note that this is a very labour intensive process and that we have just finished our first crop of only 250 kilos.
     Predicting harvests is a difficult business. Like grapes, olives ripen at different times, but olives are more notorious for alternate bearing. It is apparent at this stage that Manzanillo and Verdale are ready to harvest earlier than Kalamata, Sevillano and Mission. It seems that harvest will start just as the last grapes come off the vines - which is good as we can squeeze in a bit of grape picking!
     Figtree Retreat Olives offer taste and texture which are very pleasing, although we feel that marketing strategies may have to include the education of customers relative to the "look" of the unadulterated olive.
     Still, as yields increase over time, we foresee the need to employ people to sit on a verandah and slit the darling little things.
     And as usual, there is the organic range of jams & pickles, some of which are pictured below.

PRODUCT LIST OLIVES
Organically grown and processed. Bottled in rock salt and rainwater. Subject to seasonal availability.
Verdale: picked green with bite
Sevillano: picked black, huge & mild
Mission: tiny with nutty overtones
Manzanilla: picked black - a favourite
Jumbo Kalamata: always popular
$6 for 250g bottle

PASTES
Tapenade: a beautiful blend of olives, capers, parsley, garlic, olive oil & vinegar. A real taste experience.
Salsa Verde: a truly italian taste from Liguria. A sharp blend of parsley, capers, balsamic vinegar, olive oil and organic sourdough breadcrumbs.
Peperonata: a Roman classic. Rich roasted capsicums, tomatoes, onions mixed with garlic, paprika, oregano, olive oil and vinegar.
Moustada: fig & olive tapenade! Rich, rich beyond belief. Two of the oldest trees in the Bible combine to make a taste that is indescribable. Great with cheese, poultry or game meat.
$9 a 250g bottle.

JAMS, CHUTNEYS, ETC.
Innovative organic condiments suitable for meats or any occasion.
Pear & vanilla jam
Quince jam
Blackberry, honey & rum jam
Brandied peach jam
Fig & ginger jam
Lemon & thyme marmalade
Orange, onion & thyme marmalade
Plum chutney
Pumpkin, carrot & ginger chutney
Mustard pickle
Zucchini & onion pickle
Nectarine spiced relish
$6 a 250g jar

MAIL ORDER: $30 MINIMUM + FREIGHT.

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Enquiries & Purchases:
FIGTREE RETREAT
Lot 6 Old Grattai Road, MUDGEE, NSW 2850
AUSTRALIA
Telephone/Fax: 02-63727237

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