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VENTURA COUNTY | WINE COUNTRY THIS WEEK<br />
Explore a Working Ranch, T<strong>as</strong>te the Olive Oils<br />
by Michael Cervin<br />
California h<strong>as</strong> long been an agricultural wonderland. The very<br />
first olive trees were planted around 1789 at the mission in San<br />
Diego. And in the small village of Ojai, north of Ventura, immigrants<br />
planted Spanish olive trees in 1880 and, using a communal press,<br />
provided oil for themselves and their families. Those trees still stand<br />
today and Ojai Olive Oil still harvests them. Ron and Alice Asquith<br />
operate Asquith Family Farm and have planted an <strong>as</strong>tonishing 2,600<br />
olive trees in the l<strong>as</strong>t 12 years to compliment the old Spanish trees.<br />
They have planted Italian, French and Spanish varieties to maximize<br />
flavors and complexities for their oils. “Olive oil is pure fruit juice,”<br />
Ron points out, “without additives or preservatives, rich in antioxidant<br />
qualities that help the cardiov<strong>as</strong>cular flow. It contains vitamins<br />
A, D, K and E and <strong>as</strong>sists in the absorption of calcium.” And since<br />
Ventura County is on the same latitude <strong>as</strong> C<strong>as</strong>ablanca in North<br />
Africa, the Asquith’s believe it enjoys an ideal Mediterranean climate<br />
28<br />
www.<strong>Wine</strong><strong>Country</strong><strong>This</strong><strong>Week</strong>.com
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