CLASS
On Saturday March 16th at 10-11AM I will be at The Olive Taste for raw food inspiration with demo and tasters.
Great fun! Hope to see you there!
Contact Lori Richards for details and to sign-up, see below. See invitation here.
Are you looking for a really pure olive oil?
Or maybe a true Balsamic vinegar from Italy?
You are in for a treat!
Visit the newly opened store “The Olive Taste” and sample some of the best oils from around the world.
In November 2012 Lori Richards together with her husband opened their specialty store in down-town Delray Beach. For three years she had been dreaming, learning and finally planning to someday open her own place carrying all these exquisite oils and balsamic vinegars.
It all started three years ago when she one day walked into an exact similar store in N.C. and was mesmerized. She was hooked and started to work part time there and her interest grew.
After moving to Florida she worked in a similar shop in West Palm, not only continuing to learn about oils and the trade, but also trying to find out if this really was something she wanted to pursue; if she liked it enough to have her own in the future.
And lucky for us, she did!
Colorful art work (they are for sale) by local artists and rows of shiny fusti containers decorate the lime-green walls in their shop.
What is a fusti?
Fusti is the Italian word for tank. Italians traditionally use fustis to dispense olive oil, vinegar and/or wine, a holdover from the days when everything was sampled before being purchased and individually bottled for each customer. These stainless steel fustis not only store, but equally protect the oils from heat, light and air.
The oils
Lori sources oils from the finest oil producing regions in the world. In the southern hemisphere the harvest and pressing time is in July and August and in Europe and California the season for picking and pressing is October and November.
So as seasons change oils from these regions in Argentina, Australia, Italy, California etc. will become available in her store for us to delight in.
What to look for in a good olive oil?
Age – it should be much less than 12 months old. Olive oils are fresh products and their shelf life is only 9-12 months. When older than that, they start to go bad and become rancid. Look for harvest or pressing date.
First pressed – the oil should be first pressed; no chemicals can be introduced in the pressing of an oil to be called extra virgin oil.
Acidity level – should be less than 8/10th of a percent.
Color – varies from golden yellow to dark olive green.
Taste – some of the “raw” oils might “burn” your throat and this sensation is caused by polyphenols. It is an indication of freshness; the higher the polyphenol content, the fresher the oil is. Some people are more sensitive to these polyphenols than others. (Plant polyphenols have antioxidant action.)
The vinegars
All of her vinegars are from Modena in northern Italy and made in the traditional style native to Modena.
Balsamic vinegar is made from grapes. It is the product of grape must. Must is freshly pressed grape juice which contains the skins, seeds and stems of the grapes. It is cooked down and then naturally fermented. While the must ages, it concentrates down to a dense viscous liquid. It is stored in wood barrels made from oak, which also infuse some flavor into the aging vinegar.
Well what did I select?
I got myself their finest, longest-aged vinegar, the 25 year reserva.
At home I put a few drops on a tomato cracker – and yum! What a boost!
I also bought a bottle of olive oil of course; this time I chose the basil-infused olive oil. A sprinkle of this oil and a few drops of the aged vinegar and even my quite plain, but newly harvested alfalfa sprouts became a gourmet meal!
Furthermore I picked up two spouts, the Bar Top Pour Spout, one for each bottle – quite handy, no messy spills now.
The price
The cost for a 375ml bottle of Balsamic vinegar runs from $15.95 to $22.95 (25 year reserva). And a bottle of olive oil, also 375ml, from $9.95 to $27.95 (White Truffle), with most olive oils around $15.75.
Refill
Bring your empty bottle to the store and get a refill – the price is reduced by $1.50/bottle. Appreciated by many customers who are “green”.
Stop by
at the Olive Taste and sample some of the premium balsamic vinegars and oils. Find a favorite or two. And do remember to say hi from me!
Location: A few blocks north of Atlantic Ave., down-town Delray Beach.
Address: 200 NE 2nd Avenue, Suite 113, Delray Beach, FL 33444
Phone: 561-266-3228
Hours: Mon – Thurs 11AM – 7PM; Fri – Sat 11AM – 10PM; Sun 11AM – 3PM
Email: theolivetaste@yahoo.com
Web: www.theolivetaste.com
Facebook: The Olive Taste.
By Åsa Paul-Johansson
On the Lime – Raw Foods
Fort Lauderdale area, Florida, USA
