The Mission Olive Preservation, Restoration, and Education Project (MOPREP) aims to preserve the cultural link to the California Mission Olive tree for the purpose of general public education and enjoyment of the historical significance, culinary heritage, and health benefits of the Mission Olive tree and its oil.
MOPREP is encouraging missions statewide to plant, prune and harvest their olives, to educate the public on how crucial olive oil was in daily mission life and to create a living link to California's culinary history.
MOPREP is a collaborative volunteer effort at the California Missions and local communities, funded by private donations, to preserve California's cultural links to the olive tree. Volunteers coordinate horticultural care, replanting, and olive harvests for oil making from olive trees located at the 21 California missions. We research the history of the California Mission olive trees, locating and authenticating original groves and artifacts. MOPREP displays educate mission visitors on the history, culinary heritage, health benefits and uses of olive oil in mission life. MOPREP was established in 1998 out of concern to preserve historical knowledge and provide horticultural expertise to the missions for the olive trees.
INTRODUCTION:
Today’s revival of the Mission Olive tree is being done by a small grassroots project guided by the Mission Olive Preservation, Restoration & Education Project (MOPREP). Its goal is to bring public awareness of our cultural links to the olive tree by preserving the trees; restoring them to health and productivity. The Project intends to restore olive oil making artifacts, as well as reintroduce "Mission" olive oil as the oil used in sacramental rites in the local Catholic churches. It also provides education to mission docents, school children and the local community on how olive oil was used at the missions, the historical significance of the Mission olive, its culinary heritage, and health benefits.
The Mission Olive is a variety unique to the Americas. Although its origin was believed to be from Spain, this variety is no longer found there, making it America’s olive. Its roots are in the orchards of the missions founded by the Jesuit and Franciscan fathers several centuries ago throughout the Americas. They pressed the Mission Olive into oil for cooking, lamp oil, healing wounds and lubricating machinery, as they had done in Europe for over 4000 years. Blessed oil was used in sacramental ceremonies. Olive oil was essential in daily Mission life.
Today, remnants of stone mills, screw presses and the trees themselves await new life. Trees can be pruned, mills restored and olive oil once again made in the setting where it all began. Imagine saving an historic tree from destruction, replanting long forgotten orchards with cuttings from original 200 year old trees, and then cooking with the delicious oil!
GOALS:
Restore existing olive trees at the California Missions to good health: Pruning, sucker removal and spraying.
Return designated olive trees to productivity, harvest the fruit and make olive oil: Harvest, mill and press California Mission Olives to make Extra Virgin Olive Oil for demonstration and to produce oil to be sold at Mission gift stores.
Replant olive groves on Mission grounds: Propagate cuttings from authentic original groves; provide support and expertise to assist interested Missions in replanting their olive groves.
Educate the community: Tell the olive story at fiestas and tours; offer presentations on Mission Olive history, oil processing, health studies, quality standards, cooking tips, and current developments in California.
Raise project funds: Raise funding through sale of olive oil, potted tree seedlings, corporate sponsorships and grants.
HISTORY:
The Project began in 1998 with visits to the California Missions to research the history of the olive and olive oil making in California. It was found that most of the orchards had disappeared, many of the remaining trees needed expert care to survive further, and the museums told little of the oil-making story. A proposal was made to start a Restoration, Preservation and Education Project under the California Olive Oil Council (COOC), and they agreed. Many producers of olives and olive oil enthusiastically offered their expertise, and the Missions welcomed the support. The Project was born!
Sonoma’s Mission San Francisco Solano became the first Mission in recent times to harvest its trees once again for oil. The Dominican Sisters of Mission San Jose in Fremont pruned their trees and began an annual harvest. An important milestone was the discovery of an original grove which had once belonged to Mission La Purisima Concepción. This grove has now been restored and is providing authentic cuttings for new plantings. Mission Soledad became the first mission since the early 1800’s to replant a full olive grove. Mission Santa Cruz, in 2001, was the next mission to add a number of authentic trees to their property. Since then, MOPREP has become an independent not-for-profit corporation. Thirteen projects have been completed in order to preserve and restore the Mission olive trees.
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