Winter Root Vegetable Soup: Healthy Enough for Hippocrates

Winter is the ideal season to prepare thick, creamy soups out of the root vegetables we have at hand. The soups are excellent vehicles for enjoying fine olive oil. 

We are happy to share a recipe that we hope will inspire you to go to the farmer’s market close to you and experiment with those veggies we don’t often cook with: turnips, Jerusalem artichokes and parsnips, to name a few.

Simple Pleasures: Cooking with Extra Virgin Olive Oils

Coming out of the demanding and at times exhausting milling season, we begin to enjoy the fruits of our labor. Of course, cooking is one way we do this, and with the new olive oils, it is incredibly rewarding.

Let us share two simple recipes from Provence, France, which offer a good opportunity to enjoy quality olive oil. You can use them for salad dressings, dips or sauces.

Olio Nuovo e Vino Vechio

Olio nuovo e vino vechio or “new oil and old wine,” as the Italian proverb goes, refers to the fact that while wine benefits from aging, olive oil does not. In fact, the younger the olive oil, the more intact its goodness and health promoting properties remain.

As with any vegetable oil, the decay of olive oil is inevitable over time. Though, if the oil is well crafted, it will carry a significant dotation of polyphenols -- the most important preserving compounds.

After the Crush: News from the Mill

If you’ve had the chance to visit an olive oil mill in production, you probably know how exciting it can be to taste the fresh, pungent oil as it comes out of the centrifuge. A process that started in the olive grove just months ago comes to a delicious end right in front of you.

Love at First Crush

I don’t know why, though I do know that at any age -- and perhaps particularly when we’re children -- we find learning delightful. When we have the chance to see something from beginning to end, the pleasure we get from learning seems to become a big one.

This coming Saturday, you, your children, your family and friends have the opportunity to experience the creation of olive oil during our open house. If you care to understand the great potential it holds, you’ll see how the noble olive can yield wonderful oils bursting with nutrients and unique flavors.

Don't Take Olive Oil for Granted

Maybe you’ve heard that California is experiencing a very light olive crop this year. Perhaps one possible good use of this unfortunate event is to sharpen our appreciation for the availability of olives and olive oil in California.

Autumn Bounty

As we approach what for us is one of the most significant moments of the year, the production of new olive oil, we ponder how nature works to bring precise and beautiful synchronicity to our lives, and our kitchens. Autumn harvest brings a large list of great vegetables, fruits and herbs that are ideally complimented by fresh, quality olive oil.

Say Yes to Cooking with Olive Oil

For a healthy diet and tasty meals, begin incorporating more olive oil into your food preparation. Whether sautéing, frying with low to medium temperatures or enjoying it uncooked, olive oil is by far the best option for culinary oil.

Bulk Olive Oil: Reasons to buy olive oil and use it liberally

When you have an abundant quantity of good olive oil at a reasonable price, you’re more apt to use it generously. This will help restore home cooking, which is needed for health, pleasure and social reasons.

Marco Mugelli - In Memoriam

On August 24th, scientist, agronomist, researcher, passionate olive oil maker and teacher Marco Mugelli died in Tuscany, Italy.

Tomatoes and Olive Oil: Best friends forever

As we are approaching the end of summer, some tomato varieties are reaching their peak. Field tomatoes need a good dose of warm weather and even with this unusual mild summer we’re finding great tomatoes at our farmers markets and local markets and co-ops.

Good Friends, Slow Food, and Summer Salads

This week, a group of Italian friends from the Slow Food movement visited us at Pacific Sun. After touring the olive oil mill, we had dinner at Farm Star Pizza in Chico, California. A delicious salad there inspired us to post these great summer salad ideas.

Pacific Sun Olive Oil Wins ‘Best of Show’ at Napa County Fair 2011

It’s a pleasure to announce that Pacific Sun’s Proprietor’s Select Ascolana Extra Virgin Olive Oil won the “Best of Show” title at this year’s Napa Valley Olive Oil competition.

Quality of Imported Extra Virgin Olive Oil Often Unreliable, Study Finds

Nearly three-quarters of samples of top-selling imported brands failed international standards for extra virgin olive oil according to a new report by researchers at the University of California, Davis, and in Australia.

More Recognition for Pacific Sun Olive Oil

Pacific Sun Olive Oil awarded a Gold Medal and two Silver Medals at LA County Fair

New Study - Olive Oil May Decrease the Risk of Depression

A recent study conducted at the University of Las Palmas, Spain, suggests that eating a heart-healthy diet with olive oil can lower the risk of depression, says researcher Almudena Sanchez-Villegas, PhD, associate professor of preventive medicine at the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria in Las Palmas, Spain. The study included more than 12,000 people.

Four More Gold Medals

Gerber, CA – Pacific Sun Gourmet proudly announces that four of its gourmet California extra virgin olive oils were awarded Gold Medals by the judges of the 2011 Yolo County Fair.