Helen Melser's book, The Olive Tree in My Kitchen explores the versatility of the fruit and is a homage to the olive tree. Over the years she's produced many olive products from her grove in the Wairarapa, and swears by the health benefits of olives.
She tells Kathryn Ryan her love affair with olives began around 30 years ago.
Listen to the full interview
‘I started making products with Greek kalamata olives when I was in fulltime employment and my colleagues enjoyed the results so I started a business and sold products at farmer’s markets and through some of the more well-known food shops.
“Then we had the opportunity to buy some land just out of Masterton and decided to plant olives, that was sort of on-trend at the time. We had six acres so we needed to put something on the land other than the native trees which were there.”
Melser says the main olive product made in New Zealand is extra virgin olive oil because we have newer presses and its health benefits.
“New Zealand’s extra virgin olive oil is now highly regarded around the world. They’ve been winning golds and what not in competitions around the world, we’ve done leaps and bounds to get to the top of the tree.”
Melser tends to step outside the extra virgin olive oil box when it comes to her own products.
“I’m curious and I love experimenting. If I’ve got olives or olive leaves or olive flour on the table, I just think, what might go with that. I’ve had lots of fun experimenting and some of them have worked and some of them haven’t.”
One way of using the leaf she discovered is to simply blend it with water and mix it into a smoothie with banana and milk.
Another is olive leaf tea which she says is becoming increasingly popular around the world.
“It’s got a lot more going for it than green tea, in my humble opinion.”
See some recipes using olives and their leaves.