This post, however, is about olives.
I have to say I'm a little sad about giving up olive oil for this experiment, but only because of the taste. So I decided to buy some fresh, organic olives from the farmer's market to satisfy my taste buds. And boy did they hit the spot! If you're in Los Angeles, I highly recommend Adam's Ranch Olives. They are organic (though not all jars are marked/certified) and they are local to California. Like most olives, they are in glass jars, which are safe and easily reusable (great for spices, grains, beans, etc.). These olives were jarred with water and salt, but you can get them in a variety of flavors. Read the labels carefully - some have added olive oil.
Another tip, do your research on the company you buy from and find out where they stand with organic (this goes from everything, not just olives). Adam's Ranch for instance is organic but doesn't have certification on all their products. At the farmer's market I learned that they charge extra for the certified organic olives because people will pay more just to have the word on their product - I bought the labels without the word organic and saved myself a few dollars! Email companies and ask them if they are organic without certification - you may be surprised to find that they are. And if they're not organic, they may consider it if enough people inquire.
I also went to Whole Foods (Venice, CA) tonight and they have a great olive bar. This is a great alternative to buying jars. They have two brands: Barnier and Divina.
What are your thoughts? Do you eat oil? What are your favorite brands of olives?