At the Farmers Market: Olives and Oil

One vendor has cornered the market, so to speak; the , that is.

The family-owned Verni Farms was probably the only vendor there Saturday that had over a dozen varieties of olives and over 20 kinds of seasonal dried fruit. In addition, the Clovis-based business makes and distributes its own extra-virgin olive oil.

Olives

One of the oldest foods known to man, olives played an important role in Greek mythology.

Kalamata olives, named after a region in Greece and arguably the world’s favorite olives, were available at the Calabasas Farmers Market on Saturday.

Green olives in different flavors were top-selling items too. There were green olives stuffed with garlic, green olives stuffed with jalapenos, spicy cracked green olives and the plain cracked green olives.

Employee Kirk Mosquera was handing out samples of the predominantly Mediterranean fruit to market-goers. Other varieties included black-green olives and the mixed olives in olive oil and garlic.

All olive varieties were priced at $5 for a half-pound tub.

Just like most consumer goods, olive sales fluctuate with the seasons. “It’s considered a summer food, so we expect the demand to go up pretty soon as the weather heats up,” said Mosquera.

Olive Oil

When olives are around, olive oil cannot be very far behind.

Verni Farms is one of the few farms in the area that produces and distributes its own extra-virgin, cold-pressed olive oil. Made from green olives, extra-virgin olive oil is less acidic than virgin olive oil.

Olive oil in general is often referred to as one of the “good oils” because of its high levels of monounsaturated fatty acids and antioxidants. Its reputation can be linked to a long list of proven health benefits, including the prevention of heart disease and cancer.

“Our olive oil is from the initial pressing of olives, so it’s unrefined and in its purest form,” Mosquera said.

For $15, you pick up a liter of Verni Farms’ olive oil to take home.

Dried fruits and nuts

Market-goers were clamoring for samples last Saturday, keeping Mosquera engaged and constantly cutting up smaller-sized portions of the dried fruits.

“The dried cherries and the dried peaches sell really well here,” said Mosquera. Other dried fruits that were in season included apples, apricots, plums and gold raisins.

The fig selection was quite intriguing. The black mission fig had black-purple skin but was pink on the inside. The white calimyrna fig, on the other hand, was green-yellow on the outside but had an amber flesh.

Almonds and walnuts also came in plain, roasted, smoked roasted and honey roasted. The dried fruits and nuts were selling for $5 a pound.

Aside from the Calabasas Farmers Market, Verni Farms is in 20 other markets in the Southland throughout the week.

The Calabasas Farmers Market is open from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. every Saturday at 23504 Calabasas Rd., across the street from the Sagebrush Cantina.