Olive Links of the Week: October 2 through October 8, 2011

 Olives and Olive Oil in General  Comments Off
Oct 092011
 

Every day I read lots of material about the olive, some from books and others from the internet. Each week I share with you the articles, recipes, research documents, and other information I find on the internet. Most of it is very interesting and some of it inspires me to write an article or two of my own. None of these links are in any way my opinion or are endorsed by me. I am sharing.

Olive Links of the Week

From the Macarthur Chronicle in Australia “All about olives at Silverdale farm“.

“From the Farm: Recipes for Garlic” delicious garlic recipes in the Catonsville Patch.

An article from the Tehran Times entitled “Olive oil heart health benefits“.

Know what to eat, from The Olive Press – “Olive Oil Included in Harvard’s New Healthy Eating Plate“.

From the Sacramento Bee “Running to Fair Trade: A Taste of Palestine“, an ultra-marathon event.

Make your arugula salad more tasty and healthy too. From The Coronado Patch “Arugula: The Versatile Green“.

“How to Make Your Own Moisturizer Scrub Using EVOO” from the website At Home Cure for Acne.

From The Olive Press “Four Things You Should Never Do with Your Olive Oil“. These are four big no-no’s.

Congress and President mess with the US olive industry – again! From RecorderOnline.com “Olive growers decry foreign subsidies“.

Here is a useful website – National Association for the Specialty Food Trade. It is full of interesting articles and data.

From Andalusia-travel.com it’s “Olive harvest season in Spain“.

From Babble.com’s The Family Kitchen another great recipe entitled “Creamy Pumpkin Roasted Potato Salad“.

“Andalusia Fines 17 Producers €2,500 for Inferior Olive Oil” from the Olive Oil Times.

From the Nashville Scene “Best of Nashville 2011: Food & Beverage Writers’ Choice“.

“Olive harvest” from HobbyFarms.com.

And now for another way to use an olive tree. From The Weekly Calistogan “Gratitude Trees give visitors a chance to speak their hearts“.

“Settler clashes with Palestinians reach boiling point” from the Sydney Morning Herald.

From SecondAct.com “Make Your Own Healthy Salad Dressing“.

“Lablabi: A Soulful Bowlful” from the Wall Street Journal Food & Drink section.

From Reuters “California tightens olive oil labeling rules“.

From the Los Angeles Times Travel section “Olive harvesting in Umbria, Italy, drips with tradition“.

From OnMilwaukee.com “Oro di Oliva brings “liquid gold” to professional and amateur chefs“.

May the sun shine through your branches.

www.olivecrazy.com

Olive Oil Face Mask

 Health & Beauty, Skin  1 Response »
Aug 032011
 

The money we spend in the U.S. on cosmetics could finance a couple of small nations. I read that dollop of information years ago (can’t remember where), and that was before the array of available cosmetics grew, and surgical and non-surgical cosmetic treatments took off. Maybe the cosmetics industry could finance a large nation, like one of the heavily-indebted European countries, or lop off some of our debt.

Call me old-fashioned or call me cheap – I still think that some of the best skin treatments for everyday use are in our pantries, kitchen cabinets, and refrigerators. I have personally used potatoes, honey, yogurt, cucumbers, and eggs. My favorite since college is egg whites. It gives my skin a nice, clean, tight feeling and even helps get the pH closer to normal.

Sometimes I want a mask that cleans a little deeper but without the over-drying that some masks achieve. Lord knows I don’t want to go down the over-drying road again after being mummified alive while out west this summer.

Speaking of mummification, here is an olive oil face mask that was used by the ancient Egyptians, at least according to eHow, which is where I got this recipe. I like the way it feels and it’s not difficult to make.

Olive Oil Face Mask from eHow.com

Ingredients
1 egg
1/2 tsp. olive oil
1 Tbsp. natural unbleached flour
1/4 tsp. of sea salt
1 Tbsp. whole milk

Note: This recipe makes 2 ounces, enough for one application.

1. Gently crack and beat the egg in a small bowl. Eggs are perfect skin care ingredients for people with large pores, or those who want to firm and tighten wrinkles. Egg yolks are made from albumin, which gently dries the skin and refines pores. Egg whites help soothe sunburned or windburned skin, and gently removes oily residue.
2. Add the olive oil and flour. In this case, the flour is used to thicken the consistency of the face mask. Olive oil is a fantastic way to balance the drying effects of the eggs. Unlike petroleum jelly, heavy lotions and other oils, olive oil will rinse cleanly away, leaving your skin moisturized, supple and glowing.
3. Stir in the sea salt. Sea salt stimulates blood circulation and assists in cell regeneration, helping to keep your skin looking youthful and beautiful. The salts will help to exfoliate, removing dead skin cells to relieve acne, psoriasis and eczema.
4. Mix in the whole milk. The lactic acid in milk soothes and softens dry, itchy skin. Milk will help moisturize skin while at the same time tightening wrinkles and refining pores.
5. Wash your face gently with warm water and pat dry. Apply the olive oil face mask, massaging gently to exfoliate the skin. Allow the mask to set for at least 20 minutes before rinsing.

May the sun shine through your branches.

www.olivecrazy.com

Henley Natural Shea Butter Cream (with EVOO) Saves My Trip

 Health & Beauty, Skin  1 Response »
Jul 112011
 

Way back in April, when I was attending the Georgia Olive Grower’s Association Spring Seminar, my friend and sometime Olive Crazy contributor, Steve Henley, presented me with a jar of his, Henley Natural Shea Butter Hand and Body Cream. I tried it right away and noticed it made my hands wonderfully silky. Steve seemed really pleased that I noticed and said that the Cream was also a quarter extra virgin olive oil. He also let me know that regular olive oil can often be greasy, but not extra virgin olive oil.

I then put the jar in my car console and used it whenever I was driving, then, sorry Steve, I forgot about it altogether. Until … I reached California.

Being from the southeastern United States, I am used to a certain amount of moisture in the air, even a lot of humidity. What I didn’t realize is how that atmospheric moisture kept this middle-aged woman, aka Olive Crazy, from entering mummification while still alive.

When I got to California I didn’t notice what was going on right away. I intermittently complained to Mr. Olive Crazy that my skin hurt and wasn’t looking too good. He is the one that told me that there was less moisture in the air than I was used to. Since I was “on the road” I didn’t have my full complement of potions and lotions and used the brand X stuff I found among the family toiletries. It just didn’t do the job.

One night I decided to clean out the mess that accumulated in the car from our cross-country trip. As I went through each compartment removing crushed cans and crumbled papers I re-found the jar of Henley Natural Shea Butter Cream. Hallelujah I thought. I went staight upstairs took a shower and joyfully rubbed in the wonderful Shea Butter elixir. I was saved.

I have a few more weeks before I reach home, and my Shea Butter Cream is growing smaller and smaller. I hope I make it home in time to order some more before I run out.

May the sun shine through your branches.

www.olivecrazy.com