Homemade olive oil? Other ss cooking oils?

[Lady Henevere]

Does anyone know anything about making olive oil? Ever done it, seen it done, or heard of anyone doing it non-commercially? It doesn't seem like it should be that hard, but I did an internet search and found next to nothing. There is some specially-made equipment out there for doing it, but I'm thinking more along the lines of just making small batches in the kitchen. (Maybe it's much harder than I think, which is why no one does it themselves...?)

Alternately, are there other cooking oils that can be homemade from home grown stuff? (Not butter -- I can't own a cow or goat.)

Many thanks for any responses.

 

[keljonma]

Do olives grow where you are or would you be buying olives from the grocery?

I found some information on the internet.

oil from a few olives...
http://www.metacafe.com/watch/875591/make_your_own_extra_virgin_olive_oil/

Sunset Magazine pdf file on making olive oil...
http://img4.sunset.com/static/pdf/OneBlock_OliveOil.pdf

a press you can purchase - although I think any ss'er could probably make a home version for less...
http://www.oliveoilsource-store.com/catalog/equipment/hobby-milling

although the site in general has some great information...
http://www.oliveoilsource.com/index.asp

this site talks about how olive oil is made...
http://www.top-tour-of-spain.com/how-to-make-olive-oil.html

 

[keljonma]

Alternately, are there other cooking oils that can be homemade from home grown stuff? (Not butter -- I can't own a cow or goat.) Many thanks for any responses.

Can you buy raw goat or cow milk to make your own butter?

 

[keljonma]

Look for this book online

The Sunflower Seed Huller and Oil Press By Jeff Cox
-- from Organic Gardening, April 1979, Rodale Press

This talks about the process, and shows how to do it. It says that 1 pound of oilseed produced just under 3 oz of oil.

 

[2dream]

I can't imagine making my own "any" kind of oil being very economical unless I happened to have a ton of that product handy. LOL Like a grove of olive trees. I realize this is an SS forum and sometimes just the knowledge is important. But the research I did a while back looked to be to costly and time consuming. I decided it was much easier to purchase wisely commercially made products.

Good links Kel - thanks for posting those.

 

[freemotion]

For cooking, tallow is best. It is the most stable. Lard is second, and chicken fat is third...but the tastiest, IMO. Most veg oils create free-radicals when heated so are much worse for you, health-wise, then the food giants want us to know. And most oils available are full of pesticides, which nowadays are hormones, primarily. Saturated fats are not bad for you if from a properly-raised animal (chemical-free, or as close to it as possible) and if rendered and stored properly.

Butter.....mmmmmmmmm!!!! And pork fat RULES!!!

All things in moderation, of course!

Since doing many, many hours of research, and no longer being afraid of animal fats, I buy only the smallest bottles of EVOO, sesame oil, coconut oil, and the rare canola (it is what I like in my mayo), and it lasts a looooong time.

 

[Lady Henevere]

Yes, I was thinking of using my own olives.

Thanks for the info, everyone. It's looking like this is not really something feasible for small-scale home production. (I was thinking it could be really simple -- smash some olives in a pot, fill with water, let the oil rise, skim off the top, for example.) But it sounds like if you want good quality olive oil (and I do) there's much more involved in the process. Oh, well. At least there are lots of good local sources around here.

Thanks, freemotion, but I'm a vegetarian so I won't be using most of that stuff. I'm not afraid of animal fats though, so I'm totally with you with respect to butter! (BTW, have you read Michael Pollan's In Defense of Food? It has some interesting information about the ideas behind the big "no animal fats" movement and how little scientific evidence there ever was to back it up. It seems like something you might be interested in.)

 

[dragonlaurel]

I'm vegetarian too and understand about this challenge.

Olive oil is great. Since it can grow near you, you might look into buying or bartering for it locally. Dealing with the farmer or processor may save money. Maybe you could get it through a co-op ?

You might look into coconut oil too. They would probably grow for you, it keeps well and the bad talk about it was proven wrong. It sounds easy to process too.

I'm in Arkansas, so I'm and thinking about growing some sunflower and sesame seeds (for food, oil, and Tahini) when I get land.

 

[DianeB]

For cooking, tallow is best. It is the most stable. Lard is second, and chicken fat is third...but the tastiest, IMO. Most veg oils create free-radicals when heated so are much worse for you, health-wise, then the food giants want us to know. And most oils available are full of pesticides, which nowadays are hormones, primarily. Saturated fats are not bad for you if from a properly-raised animal (chemical-free, or as close to it as possible) and if rendered and stored properly.

Butter.....mmmmmmmmm!!!! And pork fat RULES!!!

All things in moderation, of course!

Since doing many, many hours of research, and no longer being afraid of animal fats, I buy only the smallest bottles of EVOO, sesame oil, coconut oil, and the rare canola (it is what I like in my mayo), and it lasts a looooong time.

It depends on the vegetable oil and how it is processed. Olive oil and canola oil are supposed to have the highest smoke temperature. It should be writen on the bottle.

Saturated fats exist in both animal and vegetable fats. Coconut and Palm Oil are solid at room temperature because they have an over 60% saturated fat content.

Free radicals exist in almost everything and our bodies are able to remove most of them. Breathing, grilled meats and burnt fats all create free radicals in our bodies. As long as you consume a high amount of antioxidants and phytochemicals it should not be a problem. By the way, most antioxidants and all phytochemicals are in plant foods

If you are really concerned about fats, you can cook you food in a small amount of broth or water.

DB

 

[freemotion]

Most veg oils that are made from seeds also contain traces of pesticides....and modern pesticides are hormone disruptors. Considering so many other things in our food and environment are also hormone disruptors, such as many plastics and soy....that is reason enough to avoid them, at least as a regular part of the diet.

Yes, I do agree that we are designed to deal with a certain amount of free radicals, mostly via eating a diet rich in colorful fruits and veggies. However, we are bombarded with far more free radical damage than we were designed to handle. And the plant foods that are available to most Americans today are very low in levels of phytonutrients. To be effective, they must be grown organically (real organic, not food giant fake organic!) in very rich soil and picked and eaten at the peak of ripeness. It just doesn't happen. That is why I choose to reduce my exposure to these and other damaging substances, and take supplements in addition to eating a lot of fruits and veggies daily.