#olive oil
November is a month in Italy when new olive oil is arriving. In every region places where oil is made (=frantoio) are open for visitors. You can see from inside all the process: from picking up olives from the trees until closing the bottles with new oil. There are free tastings, stands where you can buy oil and small events like concerts.
Judah Kingdom’s Elite Consumed Wine Enriched with Vanilla, Archaeologists Say | Sci-News.com
“Residues of vanilla attest to the great prestige of the wine and to the drinking habits of the elite residents of Jerusalem.”
“Vanilla had to be imported from the tropic environments of India or east Africa,” they said.
“Control over the spice trade routes connecting east and west has often been seen as a prime motivator for the Assyrian expansion to the southwest.”
“The identification of vanilla as one such exotic and prestigious product having been brought over by the desert caravans highlights the economic value of this trade.””
The olive tree is the signature feature defining Italian people, their sense of identity and their love of the earth and a fresh harvest.
November marks the especially festive occasion for the Italians when the local ‘frantaiero’ (olive farmer) harvests his crop, hauls it by truck to the mill (often on the site of his home) and – in a matter of hours– transforms the fruit into a shimmering liquid of stunning viscosity.
Olive trees are gnarly and hearty – among the heartiest horticultural specimens on the planet. They “are able to survive salt water, adapting itself to almost any sunny and temperate environment, able to thrive in most soils, retaining its leaves year round, and living in some cases more than a thousand years, occasionally bearing fruit for centuries.”
In Assisi, where I lived, they have preserved ancient trees that bore fruit when Francis of Assisi lived (1182-1226).
For thousands of years the olive tree has been the defining feature of all the major civilizations in the Mediterranean, including Greek, Roman, Etruscan. Olive trees are a source of food, medicinal ointments, and – of course, oil and its copious applications.
Today there are 500 different cultivars or varieties of olives. Italy remains the world’s second largest producer of extra virgin olive oil, with 35 different geographical denominations recognized by the European Union.
SUMMER MELON SALAD (Tomamelo Salad)
(From AWL)
https://sweetphi.com/summer-melon-salad/
Ingredients:
- ½ cup thinly sliced cucumber
- ½ cup cherry or grape tomatoes, sliced in half
- ¼ cup thinly sliced red onion
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tsp apple cider vinegar
- sea salt and black pepper to taste
- 3 cups cantaloupe, cubed or scooped with melon baller
- 2 tbsp fresh mint, lightly chopped
- 3 oz. feta cheese
For the dressing:
- 3 tbsp lime juice
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tbsp olive oil
Directions:
- Add cucumber, tomato, red onion, olive oil, apple cider vinegar, salt and pepper to a bowl and toss to combine. Set aside.
- Prepare the dressing by adding lime juice maple syrup and salt to a bowl and whisk to combine.
- Slowly add olive oil while constantly whisking to create an emulsion.
- Add cantaloup to a large serving bowl and top with dressing. Gently toss to combine.
- Incorporate the cucumber-tomato mixture (leaving excess liquid behind) and fresh mint by folding gently. Top with crumbled feta cheese and enjoy!
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FISH STEW (”Best Soup”)
(From AWL)
https://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/fish_stew_with_ginger_and_tomatoes/
This game is making my life difficult with the recipes :P This is my best stab at “best stew” since it calls for 1. Fish 2. Root vegetables, and 3. some hybrid cops that have any 2 of potato, sweet potato, and carrot.
Ingredients:
- 4 small (15 ounces, 443 g) red potatoes
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 tablespoons finely grated fresh ginger
- 1 clove garlic, crushed
- 1 can (14 to 16 ounces, 400 to 453 g) diced tomatoes
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt, or more to taste
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper, or more to taste
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 3 cups (700 ml) chicken stock
- 2 pounds (.90 kg) boneless firm-fleshed white fish, such as haddock, halibut, hake, flounder, pollock, whiting, or other local fish (it’s okay if the skin is still on)
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Directions:
- Without peeling, slice the potatoes into ¼-inch rounds. Steam them over boiling water in a vegetable steamer, tightly covered, for 10 minutes, or until tender. Set aside.
- Meanwhile, In a Dutch oven or other large pot over medium heat, heat the oil and add the ginger, garlic, tomatoes and their liquid, sugar, salt, black pepper, and red pepper. Cook, stirring, for 3 minutes. Add the stock, bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer for 10 minutes, or until the flavors mellow.
- Add the potatoes and return the sauce to a boil. Simmer 2 minutes.
- Cut the fillets into 3-inch pieces. Add them to the sauce and press them down into the pan to submerge them in the liquid. Cover the pan and cook for 5 minutes, or until the fish is opaque and flakes easily with the tip of a knife.
- Taste for seasoning and add more salt and black pepper, if you like. Sprinkle with parsley before serving.
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RED SALAD
(From AWL)
https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/ruby-red-beet-apple-salad/
Ingredients:
- 2-½ pounds fresh beets (about 8 medium)
- 2 medium apples, peeled and chopped
- 1 cup chopped fresh kale
- 1 cup chopped red cabbage
- 1 cup shredded carrots
- ½ cup chopped onion
- ½ cup cider vinegar
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¾ teaspoon curry powder
- 1/8 teaspoon each ground ginger, garlic powder and pepper
Directions:
- Scrub beets and trim tops to 1 in. Place in a Dutch oven; add water to cover. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, covered, 30-60 minutes or until tender. Remove from the water; cool.
- Peel beets and cut into ½-in. cubes. In a large bowl, combine the apples, kale, cabbage, carrots, onion and beets.
- In a small bowl, whisk the remaining ingredients. Pour over salad; toss to coat. Refrigerate, covered, for at least 4 hours or until chilled, stirring occasionally.
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1) Very high in omega 3 and 6
2) Helps skin conditions
3) Yummy nutty flavor
4) Vitamin E, antioxidants!!
Hemp oil is best used at room/fridge temperature, drizzle over salads or rub into skin, but do not heat /fry!
It does smell nutty so for whole body oil I’d recommend almond or coconut :)
I use hemp oil under my eyes at night, they look full of life in the morning!
