My Introduction to Olive Oil Soap

 Health & Beauty, Skin, Soap  Comments Off
Mar 312011
 

Remember those movies showing some Greek or Roman guy getting lubricated with olive oil to a) wrestle some other lubricated guy, or b) get scraped with that thingy I’ve seen waiters use to get the crumbs off a tablecloth?The movies always depicted those guys as shiny and greasy looking, so I assumed that using olive oil on my skin would make me look greasy and shiny too, but I was very wrong. Provided you don’t pour a bottle of olive oil over your head and wallow in it, it goes on very smoothly and makes your skin look, feel, and be healthy.

My introduction to using olive oil on my skin was at my brother, Joe’s, house. One night I jumped in the guest bathroom shower got all wet and noticed there wasn’t any soap. I peaked out the curtain and spotted some golden, square, potato chip-sized soaps attractively displayed on the back of the toilet. Without worrying that I might be messing up one of those don’t-use-just-look soap displays I grabbed a few and went to scrubbing. After my bath I didn’t feel dry and residuey like soap sometimes makes me feel, but sort of smooth. I made sure for the rest of my visit to use up all the cute little soaps and then hid the container under the sink. My crime went unnoticed.

A few years later I was at Joe’s 40th birthday party and met the man who made those soaps. His name is Steve Henley and he is the Head Soap Maker at his company, Henley Natural Brands, LLC. The soaps had been a house warming gift for my brother. I asked Steve about the soaps and told him how good they made my skin feel. Steve told me they were made with olive oil. I was surprised. A few days later he gave me some sample bars of the olive oil, avocado oil, and lavender soaps. All were wonderful, but for different reasons.

Over time Steve and I became friends and he told me the story of how a mild-mannered IT guy came to be a soap maker. Since he was a child, Steve had super-sensitive skin and store-bought soaps and creams just didn’t do the trick. He started experimenting with making his own soaps and using them on himself and his skin sensitivity issues diminished dramatically.

No this is not a paid endorsement. I am a fan of Steve’s soaps, and because of Steve I added another olive oil product to my Olive Craziness.

May the sun shine through your branches.

www.olivecrazy.com

Conventional or Organic and Peruvian Organic Olives

 Farming & Gardening, Organic, Peru  Comments Off
Mar 302011
 

More and more growers and producers of olives and olive oil are joining the certified “organic” trend. Even though organic can mean more expense on the growing end with conventional weed control and fertility management at approximately $117.00 an acre and organic at $1750.00 an acre (Paul Vossen et al., UC Davis, 2005) growers are making a go of it. I know I am seeing an increasing number of organic olives and olive oil products on the grocery store shelves.

To most of us organic means wholesome, unadulterated, or some other positive, good-for-you word. When I think of organic though, I think of a structured process approved by a governing body, whether it’s by the governing body where the crop is grown or the one where the end product is sold and consumed. Certainly the word, organic, conjures up some very specific thoughts in most farming and grocery shopping folks today.

Since organic methods are global, I wanted to introduce you to a video about a Peruvian Organic Olive Farm. It shows some of the natural techniques for olive pollination – bees (even though most olive trees are wind pollinated) and a natural method for eliminating some insects – corn.

In the United States the US Department of Agriculture is our governing body that certifies whether or not a food product can use the term organic. They have the National Organic Program which accredits and certifies and enforces the law, rules and regulations surrounding organic products. One thing they don’t promise or certify is whether or not the organic food is safe or even nutritious. They leave the good judgement part up to us.

The Mayo Clinic provides a chart that easily describes the difference between Conventional and Organic Farming. It is very oversimplified but gives you a non-techie, good idea of how organic growing works.

Conventional

Organic
Apply chemical fertilizers to promote plant growth. Apply natural fertilizers, such as manure or compost, to feed soil and plants.
Spray insecticides and pesticides to reduce pests and pest diseases. Use beneficial insects and birds, mating disruption, or traps to reduce pests and disease.
Use chemical herbicides to manage weeds. Rotate crops, till, hand weed, or mulch to manage weeds.
Give animals antibiotics, growth hormones and medications to prevent disease and spur growth. Give animals organic feed and access to the outdoors. Use preventive measures, such as, rotational grazing, balanced diet, and clean housing, to help minimize disease.

 

Whether it’s by conventional or organic means olives and olive oil are delicious sources of anti-oxidants and nutrition and have been for thousands of years.

May the sun shine through your branches.

www.olivecrazy.com

I’ll Have a P B & O Sandwich Please

 Cooking & Eating, Recipes  1 Response »
Mar 292011
 

Until 9th grade, when my Mom decided she wasn’t going to pack school lunches for me and my seven other siblings anymore, we ate a lot of peanut butter and jelly, bologna, and liverwurst sandwiches. I’m not sure which one of my parents thought liverwurst was a suitable lunch meat for southern kids, but somehow I suspect it was my Dad, the one with the adventurous taste buds. There was little variety and none of those sandwiches was a good trade for something more appetizing, and lord knows I tried. I was a shameless lunchroom wheeler-dealer and managed to trade a liverwurst sandwich to some poor girl who was bored with her daily peanut butter and banana on white bread. She actually enjoyed the liverwurst (shudder), but I did not like the sweet and smushy quality of her’s.

Fast forward to my first pregnancy and the desire to mix flavors. I was a self taught cook and not bad at it. My sister, Ann, the one after me, went to Cordon Bleu in London and taught me a few tricks. Before getting pregnant I started experimenting with flavors, but pregnancy ratcheted up that practice. I started mixing pickled fruits and vegetables of every kind with what I would hope to be a complementary food. Through this practice I developed a fondness for dill pickle chips on peanut butter sandwiches. One day I got ready to make my p b & dp sandwich but the pickles were gone. All I had left of my pickled anything stash was a jar of green pimento-stuffed olives. I put them in place of the pickles and a favorite was born. Mmmmmmm.

Over the years and post-pregnancy I have refined the sandwich and it is still a favorite. Here is my peanut butter and olive sandwich recipe with an optional addition I saw on food.com. I prefer mine best. The p b & o sandwich is actually delicious, not just because it has olives in it, but because it has that great salty and sweet combination that many of us love. I put mine on a hearty, chewy, and flavorful bread like rye. It adds another textural layer to the salty-sweet flavor.

P B & O Sandwich Recipe

2 slices – hearty bread (like chewy rye)

1 big scoop – creamy peanut butter (the natural kind isn’t sweet enough)

9 each – green pimento-stuffed olives

(optional addition) 1 tsp – mayonnaise

Spread peanut butter on one slice of bread and optional mayonnaise on the other. Cut olives length-wise and place randomly on peanut butter. Put bread slices together and warm for a few seconds in microwave, flip and warm other side. Eat.

If you enjoy this sandwich tell a friend or put it in your child’s lunch box.

May the sun shine through your branches.

www.olivecrazy.com

Congratulations to Texas Olive Oil Contest Winners

 Contests, Farming & Gardening, Texas  1 Response »
Mar 282011
 

The 1st Annual Texas Olive Oil Tasting and Contest is over and the results are in.

South-Central Texas’ booming olive oil industry was on display on Saturday, March 26th at Threadgill’s in Austin before a large, enthusiastic audience. Olive growers from all over Texas were on hand to find out how Texas olive oils compared to those from Italy, Spain, and Argentina, countries recognized as the top producers in the world.

Jim Henry, Texas olive pioneer, owner of the Texas Olive Ranch, and one of the founding members of the Texas Olive Oil Council celebrated a banner Texas 2010 olive harvest, “I’m delighted to see so much interest in Texas olive oil and such a large crowd at this event” said Henry, “and it’s great to see that what we’ve been doing is now supporting efforts in Northern Mexico to plant olive orchards.”

It looks like Jim is taking his pioneering spirit to Mexico as well. And now for the results of the contest.

The Texas Olive Ranch took second and third place in the large producer category with their Arbosana varietal olive oil and their Grove Master’s Blend. Azienda Guarino, an estate olive oil from Sicily, Italy, took first place in the competition overall. “This is still a great day for Texas”, insisted Antonio Guarino, representing Azienda Guarino. “Texas is definitely going to be a world class contender in the years to come.”

Jeff Conarko, owner of Con’ Olio Oils and Vinegars in Austin, coordinated the Showcase. In the Artisan Grower Category, Jewett Farms from Moulton, Texas was awarded first place with their oil milled from a mix of Frantoio, Arbequina, Leccino, Picual, and Mission olives. “This was unexpected”, said a surprised Dunham Jewett from Houston, Texas. “2010 was the first harvest from our trees that we were able to press into olive oil”.

Second place was awarded to Bel-Asher Olive Oil from Asherton, Texas, from 100 year old trees of unknown variety that inspired olive growers to plant again in the Carrizo Springs area. Third place honors were awarded to Qualia Orchard Olive Oil in Del Rio, Texas, part of the Val Verde Winery estate, the oldest winery in Texas.

“All of the olive oils represented in the showcase are winners, because for the last 50 years anyone who wanted to grow olives in Texas has been told it wasn’t possible,” said Henry. “Now we know it is not only possible to grow olives, it is possible to make a world class olive oil with a Texas crop of olives.”

The crowd at Threadgill’s also previewed a rough cut of “El Camino, the Texas/Mexico Olive Trail,” a documentary film produced and directed by Bill Millet, coming to PBS stations June 2011. Segments of the Judging and Showcase were shot for inclusion in the documentary.

The Judges of the 1st Annual Texas Olive Oil Tasting and Contest were:

  • Jeff Conarko (owner, Con’ Olio Oils & Vinegars)
  • Virginia Wood (Food Editor, Austin Chronicle)
  • Kathleen Scott (Writer, San Antonio Express News)
  • Scott Boruff (Executive Director, Texas Parks & Wildlife Department)
  • Tracy Dufault (HEB Stores, Carbs & Oils BDM)
  • Elsa Gramola (Celebrity Chef, Central Market, Sicily, Italy)
  • Don Jesus Ramon (Ciudad Acuña, Mexico)
  • Don Maurovio Cordoneda (Resistencia, Argentina)
  • Don Ricardo Reguera Blanco (León, Spain)

The olive producers who participated:

  • Texas Olive Ranch (Carrizo Springs, Texas)
  • Anderson’s Olive Farm (Dilley, Texas)
  • Sandy Oaks (Elmendorf, Texas)
  • Farrell’s Olive Orchard (Artesia Wells, Texas)
  • Azienda Guarino (Partanna, Sicily, Italy)
  • Indalo Extra Virgin Olive Oil (Catamarca, Argentina)
  • Villa Blanca Extra Virgin Olive Oil (Seville, Spain) certified organic
  • Rancho La Espiga (Ciudad Acuna, Mexico)
  • Jewett Farms (Moulton, Texas)
  • Corpus Christi Olive Oil (from cir. 1942 olive trees)
  • Bel-Asher Olive Oil (Asherton, Texas from cir. 1914 olive trees)
  • Qualia Orchard (Del Rio, Texas)
  • Tejeda Middle School Olive Oil (San Antonio, Texas)

May the sun shine through your branches.

www.olivecrazy.com

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