The Olive City Not much was
expected from the fruit when olive groves came to Corning in 1897 — it was grown primarily for oil. But after the olive trees withstood the year’s winter and pests that wreaked havoc on the other fruit trees, a new industry was born. The Maywood Colony Canning and Packing Association was formed with olives showing signs of their royal future. The olive industry grew even more with the success of the sevillano, which had originally been intended to be discarded because they were late-bearing. However, the olive packing plant’s manager decided to save the batch.
These saplings began to produce
olives the size of small plums. They would later be crowned the queen of all olives, and Corning became known as the home of the “Queen Olive.” There are now more than 5,600 acres of olives in the south county. Corning is home to Olive Hut and Olive Pit, where olive delicacies
The communities 11
Pick up Corning 2010 for more information about things to do in the Olive City.
can be found.
In recent years a growing olive oil
industry has taken hold in and around Corning, with local oil available at
specialty shops and some markets. Local
producers include Corning Olive Oil, Lucero Olive Oil and Pacific Sun Olive Oil. The difference is
easy to taste.
Corning celebrates its queen crop once a year with the annual Olive Festival, complete with a parade, the Corning Does it Bedder Bed Races and the crowning of Miss Corning.
