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    April & May 2010 harvest

    Harry Andrews - Tuesday, June 15, 2010
    Our 2010 harvest has concluded in early May 2010, with bottling underway now; bottling into retail bottles, larger 5L drums for the larger household or trade, and 50L stainless drums for our food service clients.

    Woodlands has been frantic throughout April and May during this harvest period; a constant buzz of harvesting equipment around the grove. 

    The grove has now returned to peace and relative quiet with these photos being taken in early June'10;




    A sunset view over one of Woodland's dams (photo courtesy of Steph Andrews);

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    A very old olive tree in Greece

    Harry Andrews - Thursday, February 04, 2010
    This olive tree is approximately 200 years old;



    I came across this tree in Greece last year. It's amongst a few hundred trees found on a small piece of land that our family has owned for centuries and that my late grandfather tended to. The trees here are generally harvested for table olives and are now managed, by agreement, by a local farmer. I haven't seen a tree this old in Australia yet; but then again we haven't been harvesting olives for 2-3000 years.

     



    There are two groves, one situated on the outskirts of the small coastal town of Akrata (a few hours drive west from Athens on the Peleponnese), and one nestled on a hill side just inland from Akrata. This is Akrata's beach;



    and this is what's left of our family's original home nestled in the mountains behind Akrata, in a village called Porovitsa;





    While the building has been ravaged by earthquakes and extreme bush fires over the decades, there are still small crops and olive groves being tended to around its abandoned streets. 
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    Heavy rains and we're looking good!

    Harry Andrews - Monday, January 04, 2010
    In this past week we've gratefully experienced some soaking rain and the groves are looking great (coupled with the hard work of the Woodlands team);



    The past few months have been very busy with the opening of, and extension into, our new grove "Nardoo". We've planted the varieties Koroneiki and Aberesque to further develop and evolve the flavour profile of our estate grown oil;



    The heavy rain has taken its toll a little in the new grove, although Max, our Border Collie, seemed to enjoy the flooding!



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    Bird's Eye View of Broke & Woodlands

    Harry Andrews - Thursday, December 24, 2009
    This photo was taken last Sunday, 3rd January, while on an arduous two hour hike up Sentry Rock in the Hunter Valley with my family.



    In the middleground, beneath us, are some of the oldest vineyards of the Hunter Valley, owned by John Tulloch, Sentry Rock Vineyards on Milbrodale Road (and who kindly gave us permission to hike up Sentry Rock situated in his property).

    Our Woodlands grove can be seen in the distance… look to the base of the mountains in the background, to the right side of the photo; Woodlands is nestled in amongst the darker green landscape.

    As an aside, I'm no geologist, but the rock I'm standing on, (a flat rock platform) in the foreground, has rounded pebbles embedded in it, which suggests (to me at least), that the top of this mountain used to be either a river bed or a coastline. Both my kids and I are keen to learn more about the geology of this region.

    The view is so awe inspiring that I'm showing you below another photo, taken by swivelling 90° from the above photo;



    I suspect that I may have been the only one awe-struck that day on the mountain, because as you can see from this photo;



    … my daughter's checking out her Facebook page on her phone, my wife is making a diner reservation for later that night, and my youngest son is recovering from a fire-ant bite to his ankle!

    Click here if you want to see a map and satellite image (Google Maps) of Sentry Rock and this beautiful valley.

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    Olive Oil helps your brain grow

    Harry Andrews - Sunday, November 29, 2009
    Listening to Sydney's ABC 702 radio today a commentator was talking about recent research that demonstrated that certain parts of the human brain can grow - the olfactory and memory parts of the brain.

    From research carried out on mice, researchers have been able to further conclude that there are certain foods or diets that we can follow that will enhance "brain growth"!!! Amongst others, it was said that foods rich in polyphenols, like olive oil of course, are ideal!! They also mentioned wine. 

    Once again there seems to be research in support of the often reported line that Mediterranean cuisine is really good for your health.

    A quick search on Google will find many references to this sort of research if you're interested to learn more…
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    Glass, Sydney Hilton

    Harry Andrews - Saturday, November 07, 2009
    You may think that I spend my whole life in and out of restaurants! Well, my excuse this weekend is that it's been my wife's birthday and, between dinner with our immediate family, lunch together while shopping for her present, then lunch with friends and extended family… well I have spent most of this weekend in restaurants!

    Last night we were at Glass, Sydney Hilton (www.glassbrasserie.com.au). I hadn't been there for a year or so, and I must say that I really enjoyed it. A fantastic interior style and atmosphere coupled with a massive menu for choice. Everything that comes out is of exceptional quality. And chef Luke Mangan and his team are highly professional.

    Now what caught my eye moreso, however, was that olive oil features quite prominently in Glass. A bottle of Luke Mangan's self branded olive oil at or near each table; a plate with olive oil for dipping and a (constantly filled) basket of great bread.

    My wife will say, however, that the "glass desert plate to share" was more eye catching! It truly was. A massive plate with around ten or so individual deserts to share, each one a spectacular treat.
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    Pendolino Ristorante Sydney

    Harry Andrews - Wednesday, November 04, 2009
    I had an amazing lunch as Pendolino's restaurant in Sydney today and remembered again why I love this place so much. It was packed with business people; service was fast; waiters were professional, menu choice was great and the quality of my meal was exceptional.

    But what I find most intriguing about Pendolino's is that it has its own Olive Oil "library", called L'Olioteca (see www.pendolino.com.au/lolioteca.htm). In addition to the wonderful display of olive oils (that doubles as a private dining room, the theme and interest in olive oil extends into the dining area.

    At your table you're welcomed by a dish presenting three different olive oils for dipping - infused with orange, lemon and a nature olive fruity flavour. Throughout the menu there are annotations of the olive oil varieties and brands used in the various dishes. Have a look at the menu; www.pendolino.com.au/sampleTheMenu.htm

    I had the pleasure of meeting the proprietor of Pendolino and the L'Olioteca, Nino Zoccali, several months ago and it seems that what he doesn't know about olive oil isn't worth knowing. I've never met anybody as passionate as he is about olive oil, and in particular Australian olive oil. Nor someone as passionate as he is to learn, teach and promote olive oil. 

    Nino was very generous with me, sharing his time and knowledge of olive oil while sampling our Woodlands. 
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    Great salad dressing recipe

    Harry Andrews - Tuesday, November 03, 2009
    I recently asked my sister for a salad dressing recipe that is quick, simple and, most importantly, uses olive oil !! Here it is;

    150ml Olive Oil

    150ml Lemon Juice

    2 crushed garlic

    2 desert spoon sugar

    2 desert spoon whole grain mustard

    Salt, pepper

     

    Mix ingredients together in a glass jar and refrigerate until ready to pour over a lettuce and vegetable salad


    I've tried the recipe, (because I still harbour the notion from childhood that my sister would not know how to cook let alone devise a recipe!), and I can vouch for it. You can tweak the seasonings to taste.

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    Hunter Valley Uncorked

    Harry Andrews - Monday, November 02, 2009
    I guess the choice of Balmoral Beach (Mosman, NSW) by Hunter Valley Wines to hold Hunter Valley Uncorked is no surprise. There would be countless Mosman and Lower North Shore residents of Sydney that travel at weekends to the Hunter Valley to sample or buy the region's wines and produce. So I guess this might even be heartland for fans of the Hunter Valley.

    It's also probable that many residents of the Lower North Shore may have holiday homes or working properties in the Hunter Valley, given the number of dusty cars and four-wheel-drives you see on the streets after most weekends.

    Long weekends or even day trips in the Hunter Valley are rewarded with fine restaurants, open Cellar Doors, and farms presenting their produce. Although I live in Sydney and drive regularly to Woodlands in Broke, at around half way up the freeway I start unwinding as the buildings become fewer and the greenery broadens to the horizon.

    Yesterday, Sunday 1st November, saw thousands of people visit Balmoral Beach and the countless food and wine stands, and to soak up the view, ambience and beautiful spring weather. Have a look at http://uncorked.hvva.com.au/ for details, and maybe mark the same day in 2010 in your diary. 

    We'll be at Balmoral Beach in 2010 showing off our latest harvest and olive oil products!
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    Canberra's Australia Olive Expo

    Harry Andrews - Tuesday, October 27, 2009
    Yesterday and today we have had representatives of Woodlands attending this expo in Canberra.

    Of particular interest to us were the workshops on grove management (yesterday), and 'marketing olive oil' today.

    There's more information at www.australianoliveexpo.com.
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