All About Tomatoes
August is tomato season in Suisun Valley and let me tell you- It is Everything Tomato at IL Fiorello! We have a lot here at the Farm. We’ve had to chase the mockingbirds away from them! Our chickens love the little red and yellow cherry tomatoes. They chase each other like little kids to catch […]
Food Fraud in Olive Oil- Buyer Beware
In our tasting room I am frequently asked about fraud in olive oil. The USP* warns that the amount of food fraud has increased by 60% over the last few years. They state that the most adulterated foods are olive oil, milk, honey, syrups, lemon juice, pomegranate juice, tea, spices, and seafood. After the […]
Look What’s Growing in Suisun Valley/ July 2017
We are growing grape stakes and milk cartons! Looks that way but not really, soon you will see little green sprouts. To the Farmers, this means that grapes are going to be planted. The grape stakes and the milk cartons protect and support the young grapes. No harvesting or suckering is going on in […]
Nocino
Making Nocino, Italian walnut liquor, usually this is made on June 24th, St John’s day. But as you can see these walnuts got a little large very early. The alcohol turns bright green from the walnuts, as do your hands. Cut the walnuts in quarters and soak in alcohol for a few weeks or longer […]
Nasturtium Capers
Capers come from the Caper Bush, Capparis spinose and we are growing these at the Farm. But until the bush becomes large enough to produce capers, we are using Nasturtiums seed pods, by the thousands. The Nasturtium flowers are edible and are on our tasting plates, the leaves are delicious and hold little zucchini tastes. […]
How we Change Palates & Minds at IL Fiorello
IL Fiorello grows and produces international quality, certified extra virgin olive oil. We also help our guests to expand their palates. This is called edible education, and palate expansion. We host our guests with a comparative tasting of our extra virgin oils and present a tasting plate of healthy food. Much of the food […]
Tea Party
20 guests were treated to an adventure to Alice in Wonderland’s tea, by Executive Chef Gloria Ciccrone-Nehls, also known as Alice, and Sous Chef Darren Porter wearing the Mad Hatter’s Hat. The kitchen was decorated with a Cheshire Cat peering down from the upper shelves of the kitchen supervising the class. Roses and flowers imitating […]
Spring Bird Walk
This past Sunday, IL Fiorello Olive Oil Co., was host to the Napa-Solano Audubon Society. This is a biannual event and we hope to have many more. Beginning at 6:30 am, a group of intrepid birdwatchers gathered in our parking lot. With grove map in hand, bird list, and binoculars at the ready, we […]
Earth Day 2017
IL Fiorello celebrated Earth Day/Weekend, in a big way, with 650 people visiting our Farm on Passport Sunday! Thank you to all who visited, everyone had a wonderful sunny and delicious time. Thanks to Slow Food for a display and information, to Denise Revel, Girl on the Hill for her beautiful lavender, and to the […]
Spring 2017
It is finally Spring! Happy Spring! Spring is for seeds, chickens, eggs, plants, gardens, blossoms, and fun. Seeds are in the ground, seeds and plants are in the greenhouse, and baby chickens huddle under a warm light in the coop. They look as if they are under a grow light; each day they grow bigger and […]