Your Sustainable Back Yard: Olives

A workshop scheduled for next weekend will explore olives from back yard to table. The workshop, Saturday, Sept. 24, is the next installment in the Your Sustainable Back Yard series, presented by the California Center for Urban Horticulture.

The program includes Olives 101 and a guided olive oil tasting, plus an olive curing demonstration, and a presentation on food safety in harvesting and curing.

After the workshop, “you’ll be set to harvest olives safely from your backyard (or neglected neighborhood) tree and prepare them to be enjoyed by all,” a flier states.

The workshop is set to run from 9 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. in the Sensory Theatre at the Robert Mondavi Institute for Wine and Food Science.

Registration and more information. The cost is $45, coffee, tea and bagels in the morning, and a boxed lunch, as well as parking.

New name for Wednesday wine tastings

October brings the return of Wednesday Night Wine Flights, only they have a new name for the 2011-12 academic year. The monthly wine tastings at the Gunrock Pub have always been held the first Wednesday of the month, and now the new name will make that clear: First Wednesday Wine Flights.

The wine tastings, sponsored by the Gunrock Pub and the Vintage Aggies Wine Club, are scheduled from 5 to 6:30 p.m. at the Gunrock Pub (on the south side of the Silo).

Each month’s event includes the tasting of four wines (paired with food), and “terrific deals” on the wines to take home.

Here the monthly themes for the First Wednesday Wine Flights through February:

• Oct. 5 — Picnic Wines — Picnic fare is all about variety, ease and “travel ability.” Foods tend to be lighter, which makes white wines and lighter reds a must.
• Nov. 2 — Seasonal Sips — As daylight hours decrease and the nights grow colder, we start spending more time in the kitchen, especially around the holidays.
• Dec. 2 — Women Winemakers of California — Is there really a difference between the ways in which women and men approach winemaking? Some studies have shown that women have more taste buds than men. Or does all winemaking come down to talent and hard work, regardless of gender? You be the judge!
• Jan. 4 — Stock Your Cellar — A plethora of wines that you can try and buy in inventory reduction deals.
• Feb. 1 — Valentine Wines — In naming their wines, many winemakers are drawn to romantic clichés. And while this may be a bit kitschy, the romance seems to work for the world’s drink of love.

The cost is $10, and no reservations are needed. To reserve a table, purchase tickets in advance or schedule private tastings, call the Gunrock Pub, (530) 752-6262.

Honey! — from beehive to diet

The Honey! conference is coming to UC Davis, covering the many facets of honey from beehive to honey’s role in a healthy diet.

The conference, with honey tastings and a honey-themed lunch, and presentations by UC Davis experts in entomology and nutrition, is scheduled from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday, Oct. 21. Registration is open to industry members and the general public.

The speakers are due to address the history and merits of honey, and why honeybees are in trouble.

Three speakers are affiliated with the Department of Entomology: Eric Mussen, a Cooperative Extension apiculturist; Brian Johnson, an assistant professor; and Norman Gary, a professor emeritus and honeybee showman.

Two speakers are from the Department of Nutrition: Liz Applegate, who teaches one of the nation’s largest undergraduate nutrition classes, and Professor Emeritus Louis Grivetti, a nutritional geographer.

“Honey!” is sponsored by the Robert Mondavi Institute for Wine and Food Science, the Department of Entomology, and the Julia Child Foundation for Gastronomy and the Culinary Arts.

Registration and more information. The cost is $75 for industry members and the general public; $50 for UC faculty, staff and Friends of the Robert Mondavi Institute; and $25 for UC students.