IT’S BOTTLE TIME!

By Amy Machnak, Sunset food writer

Our delicious olive oil has been sitting in storage since the last week of November. According to our experts, that’s enough time to allow it to settle and the next step is to bottle it.

With 20 gallons of oil, distributed amongst 250ml bottles, we figure we’ll need 322 bottles (That is, if my 6th-grade math is correct.) We’ve been told that dark glass is better because it keeps out light and protects the oil, but surprisingly, it’s not that easy to find—especially now, when all the oil producers who pressed in the fall are hunting for it too. Many glass companies either don’t make green or amber glass in our desired size, or they were weeks away from having any in stock.

I asked Dan Flynn, director of the UC Davis Olive Center, where he gets his bottles from. He directed me to California Glass in Oakland. They had exactly what we wanted, in stock, and for a better price than any of their competitors. I ordered 300 bottles for the oil, figuring that we will keep a little for our own purposes in the test kitchen. Since California Glass has a minimum order of $500 I ordered several dozen clear bottles in the same size and shape for Team Vinegar to make a set. It should all arrive tomorrow and we will probably start bottling our tasty green liquid early next week.