COUNCIL OAK FARM OLIVE TREES CULTIVARS

Frantoio Olive Trees

Frantoio, an Italian variety, commonly found in Tuscany, known for its adaptability to cooler climates and suitability for both oil and table olives. It is one of the principal raw materials for Tuscany’s olive oils. Its flavor is fruity, with a strong aftertaste. It tends to be highly productive in the right conditions and has a tendency to grow more like a tree than a bush, which is different from most olive trees.

Mission Olive Trees

“Botanical Name: Olea europaea 'Mission’

The Mission Olive was introduced into California in the mid-late 1700’s as a staple of the Spanish Missions along El Camino Real.

A slow-growing evergreen tree with single or multiple gray trunks that become gnarled with age. Branches form a tall, rounded crown. Gray-green foliage is narrowly elliptic and silvery underneath. Small, spring flowers yield edible, commercial-grade olives. Good for oil production, and both green and black pickling. Partially self-fertile”.

Lucca Olive Trees

Botanical Name: Olea europaea ‘Lucca’

“The Lucca Olive Tree is a high yielding tree, which is used for high amounts of olive oil. The Lucca Olive itself was developed at the University of California, Davis by Professor Hartman. These trees produce large quantities of olives”.

Picholine Olive Trees

Botanical Name: Olea Europaea ‘Picholine Du Gard’

“The Picholine olive is originally from the region of Gard in southern France. Even though it is today most common in Provence and other parts of France and Italy; it is also grown in Morocco, Israel, Chile, the United States and other places around the world.

It is a cultivar of middle strength, with a spreading growth form, and medium size, and a crown of an open shape. Harvested later than October or November, for the purpose of producing oil, when the olives have turned black. The oil has a fruity flavor with a subtle peppery undertone. This is a high-yielding tree with a distinctive taste that is well worth growing”.

Pendolino Olive Trees

“Pendolino olives are an Italian olive variety primarily cultivated in the regions of Tuscany and Umbria. They have dual-purpose use, both as table olives and for olive oil production.
Pendolino olives are small to medium-sized and have an oval shape. They are typically harvested when they are still green and unripe, although they can also be left to fully ripen and turn black. The olives have a mild and fruity flavor with a hint of bitterness. … The oil extracted from Pendolino olives is typically mild and versatile, suitable for various cooking applications and as a finishing oil.
The Pendolino olive tree is known for its pendulous branches, which gave the variety its name.”