The Life of Olive Oil
How to store olive oil and what to do to prevent degradation of the oil. Heat, light, air, time, and cold are the enemies of olive oil. HEAT – Degrades the flavors LIGHT – Can make the oil rancid AIR – Causes oxidation TIME – Oil naturally degrades over time, COLD – Causes […]
Irish Pies and Grove vs Orchards
March came in like a lion and hopefully will go out like a lamb. We had hail and high winds in early March. Today we have misty gentle rain. We have finally finished pruning the Olive Grove. In Italy, they say that you prune an olive tree so that a swallow can fly through without […]
February 2022
HERE’S TO YOUR HEALTH AND YOUR HEART From the heart of IL Fiorello to you and yours Olive oil is good for you, it is delicious and plays well with food. It is an important part of the Mediterranean Diet. Good olive oil makes the food better, and good food makes the oil […]
January 2022
A DAY AT IL FIORELLO The Day Begins at Sunrise Sunrise, with hope for a better day. Good strong coffee, sleepy cats, and an amazing sky. I begin the day with a sense of urgency to accomplish something good, something that will have influence in my life, my staff, and my guests at IL Fiorello. […]
IL Fiorello Christmas 2021
It is the most wonderful time of the year. The OLIVES are milling And Abby is singing It’s the most wonderful time of the year. It is the hap-happiest season of OIL. With OLIVES a dropping and growers arriving And all our good friends coming to call Our milling season is the happiest time […]
Tomato Time at IL Fiorello
It is August! And it is Tomato Time at IL Fiorello! The bounty of our gardens is keeping us busy in the kitchen. Isaiah and Abby are making tomato everything, sauce, dried tomatoes, tidbits, and roasted tomatoes. Tomatoes and our Mission Olive Oil are a perfect August pairing. Nick planted […]
May 2021
We are in full-on olive blossom set! Olive pollen everywhere. The Pendolino trees are doing their job of pollinating all the other olives. The Suisun wind is helping move the pollen around the Grove. This year looks like it will be a good year for production. Given that last year was so poor for everyone, […]
Good Olive Oil vs Bad Olive Oil
GOOD OIL CURES ALL and BAD OIL MAKES YOU SICK Italian Proverb What is good oil? Good oil is fresh, new, well stored, bottled in dark bottles, and is extra virgin certified in California; passing both chemistry and taste panel certification. What is bad oil? An oil that does not pass the certification standards of California. An oil […]
It’s Time to Prune The Olives
It is time again to prune the olives – but didn’t I just do that. A whole year has passed so quickly. Italian Proverb “Prune each tree so a swallow can fly through the tree without touching its wings.” Get those shears sharpened. Clean the blades, Grab a good hat, a flexible pair of […]
March 2021 PERSPECTIVES
It has now been ONE YEAR since we were last able to host a formal olive oil tasting! ONE YEAR! How can all this happen and where did 2020 go?? It went by .. and we are glad it is gone and behind us. COVID has definitely changed our business. We cannot do […]