Farmers are extremely busy people. From pruning and harvesting to processing, marketing and management, entrepreneurs must be masters of everything from meteorology, soil science, and engineering to public relations and accounting. Add logistics into the mix, and you'll find that innovative leaders are easily discovered in the most important, ancient, and some would say underappreciated, industry there is: agriculture.
This explains, in part, why Northern California is such a culinary treasure. While Oroville is pretty much known exclusively for the lake and dam, the cultural history shouldn’t be overlooked. Perhaps more important than the Army Corps of Engineers was immigrant Freda Ehmann, who made it a personal quest to produce the best olives she could while working tirelessly to promote her adopted home’s golden produce.
Universally recognized as the mother of California’ Olive Oil industry, she grew and cured olives in Oroville and became a marketing icon. She spanned the country in her promotional efforts, from Oakland to Seattle and New York, overcoming adverse economic conditions and inspiring others in the process. The roots of her efforts helped put the Golden State on the agricultural map, making California a permanent agricultural fixture. The fruits of her labors are reflected today in the world-class products available at local markets and natural grocers, like Andronico’s, Holiday Market, and S&S Produce, that dot the state.
This legacy only grows and her acolytes continue to be focused on quality and innovation. Farmer and “Oleo-artist” Jamie Johansson adheres closely to the model his progenitor set, as he produces and promotes his top-shelf crop of olive oil products. Based at Olive Branch Ranch in the Oroville foothills, he has been developing his craft and perfecting his marketing skills for nearly 20 years. His rich, clean-tasting olive oils have won such illustrious awards as “Best of Show” at the LA County Fair’s “Oils of the World Competition” and the People’s Choice “Liquid Gold Award” at the Sonoma Olive Festival, as well as the hearts of the many students and professionals who stop by his booth at the various Farmers’ Markets he attends.
As reported in a previous article, Lodestar is a favorite of the author’s, as its rich in buttery flavor and lacks the green acidity of many other labels. This is due, as the author discovered on his visit to the tasting room, to the fact that Lodestar can harvest their olives much later, because the Oroville foothills aren’t subject to the late winter frosts that strike many other regions of our Golden State. They also benefit from the unique geology of the region, where the Smartville Block breaks through the surface of the valley and brings the mineral-rich mantle to the feet of the Sierra Nevada.
Few people realize that olive oils can be as eclectic as wines. While Mission olives are the standard crop in California, the fruit produced can be cured green or black, and the oils can vary as much as chardonnays and sangioveses. As an example of this diversity, Lodestar has an early harvest as well as a late harvest olive oil, and also produces lemon and garlic olive oils, as well as their own balsamic dipping sauce. All of them are splendid for their own unique characteristics, and emulate Freda Ehmann’s popular quote "...not how much, nor how inexpensive but how good a product can we produce?"
The early harvest has a crisp and grassy finish, while the lemon olive oil is buttery and sweet, reminiscent of a lemon meringue pie. The latter is ideal for making lemon-rosemary foccaccia and chicken piccata, as well as olive oil cake, while the former is perfect in dressings with cilantro and ginger.
Easily overlooked due to the incredible scenery, Lodestar’s tasting room is a bright and airy tribute to the beauty of its olive oils. There are several shelves showcasing Lodestar’s product, but there is also a shelf devoted to other local organic products, such as Skylake Ranch’s pomegranate dressings and Maisie Jane’s candied almonds. The oils are served with fresh sourdough, a common technique to illustrate their flavors, but this food-lover would advocate a stand-alone approach, using spoons or shot glasses, to showcase all the best aspects that Lodestar’s liquid gold has to offer.
The beautiful scenery of the site, from the views of Table Mountain to the grand Victorian ranch-house that belongs to Mr. Johansson’s parents, would be ideal for outdoor tastings and private events, and will only benefit from completion of the fountain and other landscaping projects, putting it on par with the quaintest of Napa Valley tasting rooms.
The site’s proximity to Gold Country Casino, Greyfox winery, Quillici Vineyards, Harvest Hill Farms, and the Wagon Wheel market (renowned for their Meatball sandwich) depending on the season, would make for an ideal day trip if you are interested in Agritourism, and along with the other treasures of the Sierra Oro Farm Trail, could invariably end up becoming a vacation destination for Slow Food Enthusiasts and anyone else concerned with culinary delights.
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