This week's "project:" Olive Oil

Until our Eastern Idaho weather warms up considerably, we're going to take on a "project" for this blog each week.  This week's so-called project is Olive Oil.  We're going to take a look at the various brands, prices and quantities available here in Idaho Falls and via online sources as well.  We're going to compare the unit costs but also the implied "value costs."

The US per capita annual consumption of olive oil is a mere .56 of a kilo.  That's about one small bottle a YEAR!  Greece, by comparison, leads the world in per capita consumption by consuming 23.7 kilos each year.  That's FIFTY TWO pounds!!!!

It dawned on our feeble brains that we might not oughta be too concerned with the unit cost of olive oil and we might oughta start looking for the best quality (for the price, of course) available.  As a percentage of our overall annual food expenditures, it appears to me that olive oil costs would be almost invisibly insignificant.

One thing that kind of jump started our interest in this project is the presence of an Olive Oil store on Main Street in Old Town Cottonwood, Arizona.  The store sells only specialty olive oils and balsamic vinegars.  From what we hear, the store is not only surviving but thriving as well.  Their prices certainly aren't cheap but, hey, if you're only using a little bit of the stuff what's a few extra bucks for something that has some real character, taste and palatability?

OK, those are our parameters.  You can click here for Wiki's entry on Olive Oil.  It's a great starting point to ponder our perspectives on olive oil.  Bet you never thought you'd be pondering your olive oil perspectives, now did you?

Cheers!  jp

PS--In case you are curious, the photo above this blog post came from an excellent website about taste tasting the oil in those bottles.  You can click here to read about the tests.  This is going to be a very interesting project and I will probably consume WAAAY too much pure fat this week while carrying our my project duties!!!!