turned up at finchley farmers market, the new venue at avenue house east end road on sunday the 13th june, most of the traders were humming and haaaing as to whether it was going to be worthwile, the venue seemed quite small and the fact that we were indoors in the renovated stables made us feel that we would be out of the way
Posted @ 16:29:57 on 14 June 2010 back to top
i am expecting my delivery of freshly picked and cured caper shoots as well as locally produced pine honey, farm produced pomegranate molasses, candied walnuts.
i will start packaging them ready for my next farmers market on the 30th of may 2010, i sell out pretty quick so if you are interested please reserve
Posted @ 12:26:49 on 21 May 2010 back to top
on the way to my farm from dalaman airport, you pass by a large open site on your left, it is absolutely filled with restored american classics as well as numerous old cars that would have gone through the crushers a long time ago but they are awaiting to be lovingly rebuilt by the owner of these premises
his rebuilt classics are exported to all parts of the world, take a look at some of these pictures
Posted @ 08:58:44 on 12 October 2009 back to top
i find it rather funny seeing programs and ads on tv and reading articles in the papers about the med diet, when people are shown drizzling olive oil onto salads etc
if you ever need cookery lessons in central london, then take a look at this website http://eatdrinktalk.squarespace.com/
picture no 2 the med diet as i see it is to almost drown your salad with good pure olive oil and add the juice of half a fresh lemon and just dunk fresh crusty bread into the golden oil, this is just for starters
take a look at some pictures i took at a transport cafe i dined at on the way to my farm from mugla
also have a look at the egg on toast, picture no 3 that is what i call an egg, this is produced on my farm by my free range chickens
picture no 1 is ayran served at the transport cafe, ayran is a popular drink in Turkey made from fresh yoghurt water and a touch of salt a very refreshing drink on a hot day
picture no 4 is sweet paprika being reduced to a puree under sunshine next to my swimming pool, this normally takes about 5 to 6 days
picture no 5 is local cheeses etc on display at dalaman farmers market
picture no 6 peppers on display at koycegiz farmers market
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sweet paprika drying on the terrace prior to being taken to the mill  |
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Posted @ 20:49:36 on 11 October 2009 back to top
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Posted @ 19:25:46 on 05 July 2009 back to top
i have finally recieved my delivery of fresh Cyprus olive oil, pressed in early Nov 2008 but only just recieved because our transport people set out at this time of year because of road conditions etc
any way it is worth waiting for
i have just started packaging it so it is ready to go right now
it is the best olive oil that i have produced to date, full of flavour with that peppery kick on a delayed timer
in my opinion it is better this year because i transported my olives 20 miles further to have it stone pressed and boy it was worth it
at £9 per liter, i think it is well worth the money you would pay double elsewhere
i do look forward to serving some of you
regards mem
Posted @ 23:03:02 on 26 May 2009 back to top
have just got back from 3 weeks of hard work on my farm in Turkey
last year we had 800 mandarin trees grafted into lemon trees, as the new shoots take, the old branches are cut off so i spent a lot of time helping to drag the branches of 800 trees back to a central point where firewood was separated from twigs etc
on 3 occasions we drove into the mountains to collect wild oregano as well as sage and wild rosemary
we located so much of it, i gently dried a lot of it and bought it back to the uk for sale at the farmers markets, boy you need to smell this wild stuff (wild oregano is one of the most powerful natural
anti biotics known to man)
while we were picking wild herbs, we came across wild caper bushes or a better description would be brambles, we tore ourselves to pieces collecting not the capers berries as it was too early for them, but the more succulant caper shoots, these you pick like you would pick asparagus break it off where it is still very tender
these we bring back to the farm and wash, we then put into a large container adding 2 handfuls of coarse salt and some citric acid we then fill with water and seal
i can promise you the rewards are great after a month, remove what you require and rinse, you then add olive oil and lemon juice and tuck in, this is not available in the shops, although i am having some transported over but it is well worth those scratches, it is also worth seeing the wildlife you encounter on these trips eg large tortoises as well as on one occasion a whip snake, these are majestic animals which i do not approach neither do i harm them or allow anyone working on my farm to harm them as they are what i consider to be the farmers best friend, they eat poisonous snakes as well as rodents and there eggs
oh and not forgetting a baby pup walked into my farm and was adopted by me and my staff, he is already showing signs of being a good guard dog, we named him Obama.
for anyone interested i have posted some pictures below
some of the other goods i had prepared for transportation and for sale in the uk farmers markets are baby walnuts in syrup, bergamut marmalade, pommegranate molasses, preserved lemons, chilli flakes, sweet paprika, caper shoots, wild herbs, eg wild oregano, wild sage, and what is known in Turkey as wild rosemary is in fact wild lavender, these are all produced and prepared on my farm or picked in the wild and prepared on my farm
i look forward to meeting some of you at the alexandra palace farmers markets or at whitecross street food market
you can check for dates in the farmers market section of my web site
| this is my new emblem mr olive oil i hope you like him |
pictures of some of my staff relaxing after some really hard work drying some wild lavender |
wild lavender |
a view of some of my grafted trees |
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picking wild caper shoots |
a grafted lemon shoot |
obama |
a view of grafted trees |
picking wild oregano |
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whip snake |
a young caper shoot |
a view of the house as storm clouds gather  |
Posted @ 23:18:05 on 24 May 2009 back to top
my first attendance at alexandra palace was a very pleasant and worthwile experience, although it was meant to have been held at the park due to overbooking we were redirected to campsbourne school which was a couple of hundred meters down the road
i found the onsite management to be both very helpful and friendly, i was also very pleasantly suprised to the responce i recieved as well as the sales i generated, on my return from Turkey i am planning 2 visits per month
i would also like to thank all my customers for your loyal support, i will continue to do my utmost in bringing you the best and freshest produce from my farms
Posted @ 23:53:54 on 19 April 2009 back to top
my name is mehmet murat du carta, i was born in Cyprus in 1950, but raised and educated in the UK, i own olive groves in Cyprus and Turkey, where i produce one of the best value for money extra virgin olive oils that money can buy.
i take great care and pride with my products, and for the quality oil that i produce at the price that i charge i would challenge any one to find better
7 years ago i inherited olive groves in Cyprus from my late father who together with my mother back in 1950 had planted several hundred of the Cyprus olive tree variety on various plots of land that they owned surrounding the village of louroujina in central Cyprus.
for many years the oil produced from these trees was sold to the co operatives who would sell it on to major olive oil producing countries such as italy, who in turn would repackage it and sell it as italian olive oil
my family would allocate about 50 liters of this oil for our own consumption in the uk, where at the time the only olive oil available here was from the chemist
i was not aware of the quality of oil we was producing until i was given a bottle of expensive spanish olive oil, my personal opinion was that my oil was far far superior so i started to import my extra virgin olive oil and black dry cured olives to the U.K. where in my first year i gained some recognition by having my oil described as "Englands best olive oil" by the New York magazine, i have since had many other worthy write ups in the times, the hello magazine as well as tiscali where i was described as a food hero.
5 years ago i purchased a large olive and citrus grove in the koycegiz area of Turkey, where i now produce my lemon and mandarin infused olive oil as well as my extra virgin olive oil , i also produce quality table olives that i cure in the same manner that my family has used for centuries, that is with brine and lemon juice and in the case of black olives in dry salt
(not as some of the commercial producers do in a substance that they call lye which is another name for caustic soda).
i also produce preserved lemons, sweet paprika, pomegranate molasses, and candied fruit and much more.
i have also recently planted 20 meyer lemon trees
i import to the uk and package and sell my cyprus produce under the murat du carta label, which i named after my late father.
my produce from my Turkish groves is labeled chateau carman
you are welcome to visit my store in the clerkenwell area of London, where i would be very happy to let you sample my produce, or you can purchase my goods via my online shop at www.planetmem.com
i have very strong views on producing and selling pure extra virgin olive oil, i dislike the fact that some producers set out to mislead the general public by labelling their oil as extra virgin when it is blatantly obvious that they have chemically adjusted the acidity levels in order to do so
some producers also blend there oil with various seed and nut oils and still label it as extra virgin olive oil.
i dislike the fact that some major retailers are selling extra virgin olive oil claiming it is from the tuscany area of italy and selling it at £ 3.99 per liter knowing fully well that it has never been any where near tuscany
a friend of mine who moved to the tuscany region of italy some 20 years ago paid me a visit recently, and during a conversation we had on the olive oil of the region he told me that the local producers charge the locals 20 euros per liter for extra virgin olive oil and that they sell out very quickly, due to the fact that the locals appreciate pure extra virgin olive oil and are prepared to pay the full price for it, that alone should speak volumes as to what the general public are really buying in the UK
i look forward to receiving your comments
Posted @ 09:38:33 on 26 March 2009 back to top
dried oranges, mandarins and lemons (for decorative purposes only) and much more
Posted @ 22:21:25 on 19 December 2008 back to top
it was nice to get back to whitecross street after being away for so long, eric was his usual jovial self, helping everyone
it was good to set out my stall especially with all my new stock, which drew a lot of attention, lots of people tasting my 6 different types of olives produced and prepared by me and my family as well people tasting my infused olive oils and preserved lemons
i sold quite a lot of olives (especially the chakistes which we prepare with garlic/dry cracked corriander seeds and small pieces of lemon) as well as some preserved lemons and paprika, the most important thing for me was the fact that people asked if i would be there in the following weeks
as long as people like what i produce, i will continue to do so to the best of my ability, i will have to go back to the farm soon in order to catch up with work as well as preparing my next batch of preserved lemons
i am hoping to venture into producing on my farm hot chilli flakes, baby walnut candy, watermelon candy, seville orange candy, eggplant candy, quince jam, bergamut marmalade, as well as buying in carobs and carob mollasses which you should try blending one to three with tahin (sesame paste) and spread it on your toast for breakfast it will keep you going for the best part of the day
i have also enquired with some of the local ladies who make real pommegranate mollasses, this is made by boiling pommegranate juice over a log fire reducing it and adding salt as you go this is called black lemon juice in Turkey and is brilliant on salads and in stews etc, made in this way i am told it has a 5 year shelf life
the only draw back is that it takes 12 kilos of pommegranate juice to make 1 kilo of mollasses, this will obviously be a lot dearer than the mollasses that i sell at the moment, which is commercially produced and only contains a small amount of real juice, my plan is to have 10 kilos made so i can bring it over and see what the response will be
see you all at whitecross street market soon
Posted @ 19:02:58 on 15 November 2008 back to top
just returned from my farm in Turkey, where i spent a thoroughly enjoyable and hard working one month
i had my first two lots of guests stay for 2 weeks each
marge and eric stayed in the 2 bedroom apartment which has now been named margic after the two of them
and the 2 alans stayed in the main house
having them all as guests actually made it into a thoroughly enjoyable holiday for me
they would on most days disapear in their hired cars and visit beaches as well as historical places
i believe thay had a new experience in shopping at the turkish markets especially with the help of my sisiter in law who was visiting from Cyprus at the time
we would all gather around the swimming pool on most evenings and take it in turn to cook or we would all dine down by the lake at the alila hotel, where they serve wonderfully fresh and very tasty food
olive oil and olives
i loaded all my produce onto the lorry for delivery to the uk, where once i recieve it i will start to package my olives which we have prepared in 5 different ways
i will also bottle my extra virgin olive oil which i infused one batch with freshly picked mandarins and the other batch with freshly picked lemons all from my own citrus trees
i have also produced and prepared on the farm my own organic sweet paprika which has been prepared with pure olive oil and salt, this is also naturally sundried
i have bought in locally produce such as pine nuts, senna leaves, wild rosehip, wild oregano and frankincense
which i will be packaging and selling in line with my olive oil and olives
lemon produce
we have this year produced in th region of 50 tons of lemons on the farm, which we sell locally although
i have had 800 of my mandarin trees grafted into lemons
this will ensure that my crop in 3 to 4 years will be in the region of 150 tons
anyone in the market for lemons
i also spent quite a lot of time cutting down mulberry trees for their branches and using them to prop up our overladen olive and lemon trees
i will add some pictures soon
again many thanks to marge and eric as well as the 2 alans
Posted @ 23:43:25 on 25 October 2008 back to top
This is a recent article that appeared on the tiscali (talktalk) website with the heading food heros, this makes me extremely proud thank you
The best olive oil you'll ever taste
We all have at least one, a "go to" supplier of amazing food, a neighbourhood restaurant where the cooking is fantastic and you don't have to sell body parts to afford a meal or a bar where they make life changing cocktails and you can always get a seat.
Mehmet Murat, owner of Embassy Electrical Supplies in London's fashionable Clerkenwell, is of Turkish Cypriot extraction and after inheriting olive groves from his parent's small farm in Lurugina, started selling the oil and olives from his small shop under the name Murat Du Carta. The venture was so successful that he purchased another property in Turkey and planted a grove of a further two thousand trees to meet demand.
In 2007, a passing journalist for New York Magazine discovered the shop and declared the oil "England's best". I can't claim that as, despite my best efforts I have not tried them all, but I can tell you that Murat Du Carta is stunning stuff, deliciously green and fresh, the perfect oil for salad dressings, drizzling over pasta or even just sopping up with chunks of crusty bread.
If you live in London, it is well worth popping into Mehmet's shop. He is always happy to give sample tastes and to tell you more about his oils. If you live further away, check out his website at www.planetmem.com or contact him at:
EMBASSY ELECTRICAL SUPPLIES
76 Compton Street
London
EC1V 0BN
TEL: +44 (0) 20 7251 4721
Posted @ 08:22:33 on 13 September 2008 back to top
Murat Du Carta / Chateau Carman
Producers of extra virgin olive oil, table olives and citrus fruit from our groves in Cyprus and Turkey
Tel 020 7251 4721
Email axipa@aol.com
Website www.planetmem.com
The great olive oil fraud
For many years now we have been led to believe that most commercially produced olive oils are the best and most pure available, unfortunately we were in some cases deceived
In previous years Olive oil from the supermarkets was all that was available to most of us, unless you was one of the lucky ones as I was to have 2 x 25 liter containers shipped to us every year from our own groves in Cyprus, we would share our gift with members of our family as they would share theirs
The rest of our produce would be sold off to the co operatives, who would ship it off to the commercial producers mainly in
Many olive oils sold in British supermarkets are blended from a variety of different oils and the acidity levels chemically adjusted in order that they can be labeled extra virgin olive oil
Some of these commercial producers have been found to have blended their oils with cheap hazelnut oil as well as or with sunflower oil
It is also a fact that they have been importing olive oil from
They have also been importing olives from the other olive producing countries and producing olive oil and marketing it as superior Italian olive oil (please note that the best olive oil is made with olives that have been picked within 24 to 36 hours, I doubt very much whether they can pick and ship olives from countries such as Tunisia and press olive oil within 36 hours).
I urge you to read the articles regarding this great fraud by clicking on the links below
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/1580807/Italian-police-crack-down-on-olive-oil-fraud.html
http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2007/08/13/070813fa_fact_mueller
I have written this article so that people can see that they have not in all cases been buying the genuine item
Most genuine producers are finding it difficult enough marketing their genuine products at realistic prices
Bearing in mind the higher costs of looking after the trees, as well as the cost of packaging and transportation
in my case my costs of transporting my oil from Cyprus is in excess of £1 per liter, add to that the cost of looking after the trees, harvesting the olives , taking to the press, packaging and marketing etc.
How on earth are supermarkets in the
In my case it is not cost affective to get organic certification, although everything I produce is to organic standards, might it be an idea to create an independent organization of small olive oil producers, or is there one already in existence?
please rest assured that my olive oil is from my olive groves in Cyprus and Turkey where myself or members of my immediate family not only look after the trees but also pick the olives when they are green or turning purple and take to the press within 24 to 36 hours at the most
For those of you with any doubts, you are more than welcome to book a stay on my olive groves in
I then have the oil and my table olives transported to the UK where I sell it through my shop in clerkenwell as well as at whitecross street market and through the internet You are more than welcome to put my oil through any test you like; it is pure extra virgin single estate oil and only available from me directly
Regards mem
Posted @ 13:17:57 on 24 August 2008 back to top
just got back from first Cyprus, where olives were non existent this year apart from maybe just enough to provide for the immediate family
and then Turkey where we picked and prepared over 3 tons of olives the size of small plums, after picking we select the black olives for the table where we wash and put into a container with dry salt and allow to cure, and the green turning black olives for the table but in a different method where we cut each olive slightly lengthways 3 times and put into salt water and citric acid to cure
the olive oil that we produced in Turkey this year was naturally infused with freshly picked lemons and another batch with freshly picked mandarins you should have smelt the aroma at the press, we had all the locals committing themselves to doing the same next year, we should have our delivery by april 2008
we will be at whitecross street market on the first friday and saturday of december, our stall will be open until 9 pm on the friday
my 84 year old mum who planted these
trees in Cyprus back in 1950 when she was
carrying me
Posted @ 11:18:42 on 25 November 2007 back to top
if anyone wishes to purchase any of our goods please note i will not be able to deal with it until i return on the 21st of oct 2007
i apologise for any inconvenience but will deal with it promptly on my return
Posted @ 10:03:02 on 07 October 2007 back to top
friday the 5th and saturday the 6th is the best yet people are getting to know us and returning for repeat orders i am now offering free olives with purchases of our 1 liter and 2.5 liters of oil, so sales are up
we have now introduced our own green and black olives which rather than selling prepacked, we are now preparing and packing at the point of sale
we have also increased our sales of dried olive leaves, which people are buying for either making tea, or burning as an incense and more recently someone has purchased some for burning at the alter
the next whitecross street food market is the first friday and saturday of november, its getting better, so come and get a bargain
Posted @ 21:00:02 on 06 October 2007 back to top
Posted @ 20:42:42 on 30 July 2007 back to top
saturday we sold three times the amount that we sold on friday, it was an interesting day with lots of interest, lots of tastings and a lot of feedback from what we sold at the previous events
people were coming back and telling us how good our oil is, so thank you everyone
eric the master butcher was demonstrating how to butcher a pig, which he done with great expertise and speed oh and the band that was playing for us were superb, i feel it gave the event a touch of class
hope to see you there tomorrow (sunday)
Posted @ 21:16:30 on 28 July 2007 back to top
lots of interest on the official opening of whitecross st market 27 july 07
lots of people tasting and making positive comments on the quality of the oil and olives a few made comments regarding packaging good olive oil in plastic (please note that the pet bottles we use do not impair the olive oil in any way ) we continue to bottle it in this manner because it is £2 per litre cheaper, so the saving is all yours although we do bottle our oil in quality dark green glass bottles
we have displayed our black dry cured olives with segments of orange, please try our olives in combination with orange it really is a different taste
hope to see you there on sat and sunday the 28th and 29th
regards mem
Posted @ 21:44:56 on 27 July 2007 back to top
http://www.whitecrossstreetmarket.co.uk/
make a day of it
there will be plenty to see and most certainly piles of excellent quality produce to sample
here is your chance to sample our excellent olive oil as well as our black dry cured olives
or sample our pomegranate sour, an excellent alternative to balsamic vinegar
hope to see you there
Posted @ 09:27:01 on 09 July 2007 back to top
i was quite pleased with our 2 days at the whitecross street food fair on the 6th and 7th of july, we sold a few bottles of oil as well as olives and pomegranate sour
i feel we are there to stay at the one monthly events, we made an impact and it is all about getting yourselves known and trusted
the 3 day event is on the 27th 28th and 29th of july when there will be some celebrity tv chefs on hand to show some of there cooking skills
i look forward to seeing you all there
Posted @ 09:13:20 on 09 July 2007 back to top
i have now received my oil and black olives from nov 2006 produce , i have spent most of the week bottling and packing ready for our first appearance at whitecross street food market
i can assure you that the oil is superb and the olives are top class, i have added some olive oil to theses prior to packing as they are delivered dry
i am afraid that due to increased costs re production and transport we have had to raise our prices
Posted @ 13:23:41 on 05 July 2007 back to top
my much awaited delivery of my olive oil has now arrived and i have started bottling, it is now on the shelves
at 76 compton st london ec1v 0bn (i hope you enjoy)
Posted @ 08:39:23 on 04 July 2007 back to top
