Fresh is best

May is a sacred month in the olive oil world. That’s when olive growers in the Southern hemisphere harvest and crush their fruits into a golden nectar. It’s just a matter of time before the new batches reach Darien, at Olivette on the Post Road. “Many people don’t know how olive oil should taste,” says Alina Lawrence, who opened Olivette in 2012 and is happy to do the educating. At her store, shelves are lined with stainless steel containers filled with extra virgin oils that are identified by the country of origin, the variety of olive and the crucial crush date.