The Olive Harvest Cookbook: Olive Oil Lore and Recipes from McEvoy Ranch Hardcover – Bargain Price, September 30, 2004

I love this cookbook. The stories about the McEvoy Ranch are very interesting and there is a lot of information about olives and how they are used and crushed. The pictures are absolutely gorgeous, it makes you want to cook every dish.

First off, the recipes I've made so far were all delicious, clear directions and accurate time estimations.Three complaints:1. OK, I get it! The McEvoy Ranch is fabulous. Stop selling "the Ranch" on every page. Very tiresome and ended up feeling like I bought an expensive brochure for . . . you guessed it: the Ranch (and some San Fran area restaurants).2. No calorie or nutrional information. If you are going to take the opportunity to sell me on your Ranch and your friends' restaurants (on nearly every page), at least pretend you care about the reader and include this useful information. I'm no slave to the calorie counter but after you toil thru the ads and self-congratulating genius of buying the wonderous ranch, can the writers condescend to actually assist the reader? Answer: No.3. The informational section reads like it was taken out of an encyclopedia. Very sterile and boring, basically, no flavor to the writing.Bottom line: Yes there are some delicious recipes but don't pay full price for it.

As an avid chef and artisan who creates my own decorative olive oil bottles, I am immersed in the olive and olive oil culture and I have to say I expected more from this book considering the McEvoy ranch's reputation. I thought the recipes were uninspired and unoriginal and nothing I hadn't seen somewhere before. Who needs a recipe for mashed potatoes or lemon roasted chicken? If you are looking for more unique fare, I would suggest you check out Mustards Grill by Cindy Pawlcyn. In there you will find recipes for butternut squash and goat cheese risotto and salmon roulade with kalamata olive, orange and celery relish.Beth Powanda[...]

If you love the taste of wonderful food and desire the health benefits of true organic olive oil, this book is for you. If you also appreciate beauty, you will relish the sensuous full-color photographs that testify to the remakable people who are making this California dream come true.Owning this book lets you share in this rich adventure.Mary Lou Kazmierski, Harbor Springs, MI