Projects
Money Orchard Apple Harvest
Seasonal Garden Tours
Olive Trees on Saturna
Bulk Buying
Saturna's Saturday market
Fruit Tree Mapping
Olive Trees on Saturna
GROWING OLIVES on SATURNA
For complete and up-to-date information, please go to www.olivetrees.ca
An olive grove—the first in Canada—thrives on Pender Island. On Saturna Island, over 100 olive trees are now growing, planted in 2009.
The trees were imported and sold by the Saturna Island's olive enthusiasts, now known as the Saturna Olive Consortium – Purveyors of Fine Olive Trees on the British Columbia Coast.
Consortium members (Charles Burslem, Juliet Kershaw, Mark Timmings, Michael Pierce, Nettie Adams) are now preparing for another spring sale of olive trees.
OLIVE TREES FOR 2010
Once again, the Saturna Olive Consortium is preparing to import three Italian olive tree varieties carefully selected for their suitability to the Mediterranean micro-climate found in some areas of the Gulf Islands, Vancouver Island and the Lower Mainland.
VARIETIES OFFERED
Frantoio, Leccino, Maurino. Though the Frantoio is self-pollinating, you will achieve the best fruiting results if you also choose another variety to keep the Frantoio company.
ORDERING AND PAYMENT
To order, please contact us at 250-539-3758 or info@olivetrees.ca.
Saturna Olive Consortium
Box 173
Saturna Island, BC, V0N 2Y0
PICK-UP
We will confirm the April pick-up date with you later. Shipping can be arranged at an additional cost.
MORE INFORMATION
Saturna Olive Consortium: www.olivetrees.ca
Article about Andrew Butt: http://www.cloudforest.com/northwest/forum/20083322.html
Frantoio varietal information, from Australia:
http://www.oliveaustralia.com.au/About_Olive_Trees/Frantoio/frantoio.html
News from Oregon about, olives, olive trees and olive oil:
www.OregonOlives.com
HISTORY
The Olive Tree Caper
Pollination
Those of us that live on the hotter, drier, more exposed slopes of Saturna, are always searching for plants and trees that can not only survive these conditions but as well produce food and thrive on neglect. It was small coincidence, then, that a few of us began contemplating growing olive trees. Pooling our research, we discovered a) an olive grove growing successfully on North Pender Island, and b) a contact with the California nursery best suited to supplying Saturna with olive trees for import.
Blooming
In August 2008 the enthusiast group made a field trip to Andrew Butt’s Pender Island olive grove. Andrew generously toured us through his grove of 80-some trees, happy to answer all our questions related to the nature and nurture of his specimens. Andrew confirmed that the two varieties he grew were the same we were considering for Saturna—Frantoio and Leccino. Only a few years old, his trees were already producing well.
At the moment Andrew brines and dry-salt cures the olives he harvests, producing 200 jars of olives. In just a few more years, though, Andrew plans to be pressing his olives for oil. Already a handful of Vancouver restaurants—salivating at the thought of offering their customers local olive oil (the first in Canada!)—have ordered all the oil Andrew can produce.
The most exciting information Andrew shared with us was the praise he receives from an American cohort of specialist olive growers who arrive annually on Pender to survey his olive trees. They are frankly amazed, says Andrew, to find the trees growing and producing better than those in their home state of California. Andrew can’t say why his flourish so, but is delighted with the outcome of his initial hobby olive orchard.
Buoyed by the possibility that Saturna islanders may be able to reproduce Andrew’s results, we enthusiasts are encouraging anyone with a likely olive-growing micro-climate to order one or more trees through us so that Saturna too can get into the olive oil business!
Planting and Rejoicing
In June 2009 180 young olive trees were sold on Saturna, of which about 100 were planted on the island. In early November we celebrated with the Olive Inspirations Dinner, created by chef Hubertus Surm.
