Did you know that olives grow in Arizona? California, yes. Greece, for sure. But Arizona?
I learned about Arizona’s olives when I visited the Queen Creek Olive Mill, an olive grower, olive oil producer, and agri-tourism destination just outside of Phoenix. They serve up lots of olive goodies, too.
While olives are not native to Arizona, Queen Creek General Manager Rob Holmes explained that olives have been growing in the region since the 1800s. The “mission” variety arrived with the 19th-century Spanish missionaries.
Queen Creek grows 16 varieties of olives on their more than 2,000 trees. Nine of those varieties are mature enough to harvest.
According to Holmes, Queen Creek makes its olive oils by blending the oils from several different varieties. They bottle fresh oils about every six weeks.
They infuse some of their oils with natural flavors, ranging from vanilla to lemon to chili (even chocolate!), which you can sample in their market. If you’re really keen on olives, take their 30-minute Olive Oil 101 tour, where you can learn more about olive growing and oil production, with samples of their products, of course.
In Queen Creek’s del Piero cafe, many of the dishes are made with olives or olive products, from bruschetta to sandwiches to baked goods. They use olive oil in their cakes, brownies, and their deservedly popular olive oil waffles. (Check out their website for tips on baking with olive oil).
If you’d like to try making these delicious olive oil waffles at home, here’s the Queen Creek recipe:
Olive Oil Waffles Recipe
Adapted from del Piero at the Mill
At Queen Creek Olive Mill’s del Piero restaurant, they make these waffles with their vanilla bean-infused olive oil. You could substitute a mild fruity olive oil and add a small amount of vanilla extract.
Ingredients:
2 eggs, separated
2 cups all-purpose flour
4 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. brown sugar
2 cups milk
1/2 cup vanilla bean olive oil (or 1/2 olive oil, plus 1 tsp. vanilla extract)
Method:
- Beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. Set aside.
- In a separate bowl, mix all dry ingredients. Add milk, olive oil, and egg yolks to dry ingredients and mix until smooth. Gently fold in the egg whites.
- Preheat waffle iron. Oil lightly or spray with non-stick cooking spray.
- Pour approximately 1/2 cup of waffle batter into iron and cook to desired crispness. Repeat with each additional waffle.
Yield: Six servings
If you go…
The Queen Creek Olive Mill (25062 S. Meridian Road, Queen Creek, AZ, 480-888-9290) is just east of Mesa, Arizona, in the Phoenix metropolitan area. You can get travel information about the region from the Greater Phoenix Convention & Visitors Bureau or from the Mesa Convention and Visitors Bureau.
Tasty Travels!
Carolyn
Photo credits:
Photos © Carolyn B. Heller