Queen Creek Olive Mill

A few years ago my sister, Kathie, introduced me to the Olive Mill in Queen Creek, AZ. Imagine my surprise to discover that olives are grown in the United States. Growing up in a farming family, I knew of many fruits and vegetables that grew here; but I thought of olives as being from Mediterranean countries like Italy and Greece. My first visit to the Olive Mill was a delightful mix of a tour, lunch, shopping, and sampling olives. I could hardly wait to return!
Imagine my delight when I discovered shortly after moving to Arizona last summer that we lived just a short distance from the Olive Mill! Of course, I went shopping within a few days and bought one of the reserve olive oils, which I save for "special occasions."
The olive harvest took place in the fall, followed by pressing. Olives are actually harvested in three stages with each stage of ripeness producing a particular flavor, from a soft fruit to a strong flavor.
This is followed by the "Festival of the New Oil", which is taking place right now. Tom and I paid the Mill a visit last Saturday to check out the activities. Besides olive oil tasting and wine tasting, there were various activities going on. There was a group taking a tour, and they were inside the pressing room when I checked on them. As you can see from the picture below, some people ride their bicycles to the Olive Mill to enjoy a sunny day. This particular group had children with them, who were playing games on the lawn between the Olive trees. They had also brought a picnic lunch with them and were enjoying that.
Other people bought a lunch from the deli at the Mill (absolutely delicious sandwiches and salads, I might add); and while some ate their lunch in the dining room, others opted to enjoy the beautiful day outdoors. Below you can see that the outdoor dining room is being enjoyed by many people. Tables are shared, so it isn't unusual to have people from several states all enjoying their lunches together.
The chef has a garden (patrons can only look in, not enter) that he personally tends. The herbs and vegetables are used in the food that is served in the deli. On Friday and Saturday nights, he also prepared dinners for guests and uses the garden fare extensively in those dishes. How wonderful to know that you are eating local, including food grown outside the door, when you choose to dine there!
Below is a display of olive oil that is available. There are so many choices that it is almost impossible to go home with just one. Some day I am going to make a dessert using the chocolate olive oil -- yum!
Another product made on site is the pasta in many varieties. I have only bought this for hostess gifts, but plan to buy the beet pasta some day to make a special dinner dish. I love beets, so I was very excited to find this pasta available on a local level.
And, of course, there are many kinds of olives available for purchase and serving with meals. Since I love cheese of almost any kind, the Parmesan Romano stuffed olives are my personal favorites. The olives also come stuffed with a variety of products such as blue cheese, feta cheeses, garlic cloves, nuts, and so on. So it would be difficult not to find one that you like!
The Olive Mill was the first place I bought local sweet corn in August. It was delicious, although I must say not quite what I was used to from Michigan. They also carried apples from local farmers this fall as well as apple cider (still available as you can see below) and now citrus fruits. As our harvest season progresses, there will be other products available. I am excitedly awaiting the first peaches in June!
I hope you all enjoyed learning a little bit about the Queen Creek Olive Mill. I promise a trip there to see it for yourself when you come to visit us in Arizona. I am looking forward to seeing the olive trees in bloom, the pollinators busily at work on the blossoms, and then the olives in various stages of development/ripeness. So look for future posts that bring the delights of this desert treasure to your computer!