Early Harvest Olive Oil (EHOO) is the offspring of a deeply personal and inexplicable fascination with the world of Extra Virgin Olive Oil, and the desire to share the journey with others. The ancient Greeks had a special word for the oil produced from very young olives, "agourellio", revered for it's emerald-green sheen, pleasant bitter taste and intensely grassy aroma. However, the insatiable global demand for olive oil and the higher cost involved in processing the smaller fruits have made EHOO a cultural and gastronomical rarity. Sutter's Gold is one of only a few local producers striving to revive this ancient tradition and bring you olive oil at the zenith of its potential. Due to the limited production, Sutter's Gold Early Harvest Olive Oil is pressed from rare cultivars that would otherwise be blended with the rest of the harvest at the end of the season. Once harvested the young olives are crushed within hours to preserve their organoleptic properties (grassiness, bitterness and pungency). Early Harvest Olive Oil's ability to enhance other ingredients and introduce complex flavors and aromas to dishes is the secret weapon of the world's top chefs. These complexities can be attributed to the unique teorrior, climate conditions, harvesting processes and other natural phenomena. Early Harvest Olive Oil (EHOO) celebrates these subtle nuances which manifest themselves as the oil's own unique personality.

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The nutritional and flavor-enhancing properties of EHOO can be attributed to the high levels of chlorophyll found in the young fruit. In addition to giving EHOO it's characteristically luminous green color, the chlorophyll in unripe olives is abundant in polyphenols. With levels up to five times that of olives picked during traditional harvest, these polyphenols have been credited with significant anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, cardio-protective and neuro-protective properties.