Today I took a trip to Palermo, California. Located In Butte County, Palermo and the surrounding county has the most olive trees in all of California! We visited a dormant olive orchard to check out its potential viability as a working orchard and business for a friend of ours. The trip was a stoker, the orchard was a little bit rugged. It was located under high tension power lines which sabotaged the Sicilian fantasy!

Many of the trees in Butte County are over a hundred years old. Talk about heirloom!

My personal favorite brand (so far) of local olive oil is Towani Organic Olive Oil from Bangor, Ca, also in Butte County. To try some of their amazing product, email Guy and Sharon at Towani@cncnet.com.  It’s so rich that my man drinks it with a straw!

Consider your self lucky, in California, we are one of only 3 U.S. states that produce Olive Oil, Texas and Arizona being the other two.

California olive oil is a great way to eat locally when you consider that the European alternatives have been shipped half way around the world. Some studies have shown that up to 2/3 of imported olive oil contain some kind of adulteration! Things as crazy as even “lamp oil” which is made from spoiled olives that have fallen from the trees. The list goes on to include rape seed oil, mustard oil, cotton seed etc. Once again, local foods tastes better!

Buying local produce is a great first step, but if you are trying to expand your locavore aptitude, try finding ways to incorporate other local food staples into your diet. Olive Oil is a great place to start! Briar Patch, SPD and Natural Selection all stock Calolea olive oil http://www.calolea.com/ that is made in Loma Rica, CA.

So go get oily!

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Uncategorized by Wendy Van Wagner