March to June is harvest season for olive growers in WA, and as any oil connoisseur knows, oil straight from the press is a taste sensation like no other.
Oil straight from the press is frothy, vibrant green, and bursting with peppery, fruity flavour.
Beyond being delicious, freshly pressed olive oil is also packed with health benefits, as the sediment contains lots of immune-boosting polyphenols and chlorophyll, and antioxidants, which help fight free-radicals in the body.
However, with travel restrictions in place, most olive groves will most likely be off-limits for the rest of the season. To solve the problem, some local olive oil producers are bringing their freshly-pressed olive oil to Perth farmers markets.
Catherine Lee, owner of Regans Ridge Olives, comes to Perth every weekend. Catherine says every year she gets a lot of interest from olive oil connoisseurs looking for freshly pressed olive oil. To meet the growing interest, this year she is bringing drums of her newest oil straight off the press to farmers markets in Perth.
You can bring your own bottle for Catherine and the team to fill up, or use one of their 500ml bottles if you don’t have your own. For the true olive lovers out there, they also do 1kg jars of olives marinated with garlic and your choice of mild chilli or basil.
Regans Ridge is a family-run olive grove located just out of Gingin in the Moore River region and thrives on entirely organic farming practices. With an arid terrain and Mediterranean-style climate well suited to olive trees, the Moore River region is home to several olive oil producers.
Owner Catherine Lee started the business 20 years ago as a young mother, when she and her family planted the first trees. Since then, the grove has grown to become one of the state’s largest organic olive groves, with an impressive 22,000 trees and 10 varieties.
The oil is produced on the farm’s own onsite oil press using fruit harvested and pressed the same day. The team have just finished pressing their Barnea and Frantoio olives, which produces a lovely, well-rounded oil with just the right amount of pepperiness.
Until further notice, Regans Ridge is at Perth City Farm Farmers Market on Saturday mornings from 8am – 12noon, and Stirling Farmers Market on Sundays from 7.30am – 11.30am. Updates on other oil producers appearing at farmers markets will be posted on Scoop’s Facebook.
You can contact Catherine on 0428 686 208 to reserve some new season oil, or message the team on Facebook.
Explore More Olive Oil Producers Below
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