Archive for the ‘Harvest in the Napa Valley’ Category

Posted on September 30, 2009 - by Leslie Billera

Remember Your Roots

Researching the roots of what you buy – whether it’s the food you eat, the personal care products you buy, or the clothes you wear – is an important step towards making buying decisions that are healthy for you and the planet.

All too often, we plunk down our money for items with little-known origins. What exactly is a Dorito? Where was that super cheap tee shirt made and shipped from?  And what, for heaven’s sake, are all those chemicals in my shampoo?

At St. Helena Olive Oil and Napa Valley Bath, we’re all about full disclosure. We’ve got nothing to hide and everything to gain from sharing the stories of how what we grow and sell came to be. Case in point…

What Happens at Lavender Harvest

Lavender is harvested as soon as it blooms. And the great news for lavender harvesters like the Kahns – our partners in the glorious production of lavender – is that the more you cut lavender, the thicker it grows. In fact, naturally drought-resistant lavender is actually one super-robust plant…perfect for sunny Napa Valley climates!

During harvest, stalks are cut, bundled and hung to dry in a dark place (to preserve color) inside. For large lavender production, a large fan circulates hot air, crisping the lavender bundles, and preventing mold. Then, in about two weeks, the blossoms are removed by hand by scraping dried stalks against a metal screen.

Stay tuned for more insights about lavender from lavender harvesters the Kahns!

Posted on August 18, 2009 - by napavalleybath

Napa Valley Lavender Harvest Is On

I was fortunate to land on American soil in time for the lavender harvest…..and even more fortunate to begin a new relationship with our Napa Valley organic lavender farmers, the Kahns.  I will talk more about Bob and Sharon in a later post, but for now I want to share the abundance of the harvest!

I touched down in mid July and didn’t waste any time to get to the Kahn’s ranch in South Napa.  Their property is  on the back of a ridge so you have to meander through winding roads until the valley opens up and subsequently dead ends into their property.   As I headed into the open valley, I spotted their driveway up ahead…outlined with cypress trees.  It wasn’t long until I reached the gate…and soon was surrounded by olive trees….as I ascended, I could see the lavender in the distance…hundreds of lavender plants…well 1,200 lavender plants to be exact.    For a moment, I thought I was back in Tuscany…..

I was in a loaner car that was not 4 wheel drive and couldn’t make it up the dirt road….so I parked it and began the trek up.  As I meandered up the winding gravel road, I could smell the lavender in the air.  As I approached the distilling shed, it became more pronounced.  Ah…..I took a deep breath in and closed my eyes…there is life after Florence!

Bob met me at the top of the drive….and although I knew different, he seemed as if he’d been farming organic lavender all of his life….we said our hellos and proceeded into the distilling shed…as my foot hit the cement floor, I was taken back by the potency of the air….it was not a typical flowery lavender aroma…it was woody….and green….and flowery…it was the entire plant….it all of it’s glory….I couldn’t help but breath deep.

I was so excited to be there…something I had dreamed of for years.  Bob and his distiller Gabe  ran through the process with me.  I had an understanding of distillation but watching the process was fascinating….and their passion was infectious.   I LOVE listening to people who love what they do and are trying to produce the best….in total alignment with mother nature.  I find it incredibly inspiring and could sit and listen for hours.   I had more things to accomplish that day but I could hardly pull myself from the shed.  It was the company, yes….and the aroma…it was so different….so pure….real….wow….I wish this could be a scratch and sniff blog!

Pulling myself from the shed, I walked the property with Bob and got up to speed on both their lavender and olive harvest.  We talked about Italy….about lavender….about life….about olives….about their new cats…about rattlesnakes…by far one of the best business meetings I’ve had.   He then led me into the room where they kept the oil that had been distilled to date.  Lined up in a cupboard were 34 oz. jars of the essential oil…about 10 in total I believe…and total production was predicted to be about 20 max or 680 oz….yes, that is it folks….680 oz. max of organic Napa Valley lavender essential oil. As I looked at all the bottles,  I couldn’t help but smile…wow…here we were…it wasn’t too long ago that I had met the Kahns by chance….and their story was the inspiration for our Napa Valley Bath line…and now it was here…it was happening….it was time to unleash the dream.

We smelled the different dates of oil….yes, they had different characteristics….but, overall the oil was intense…the scent in the shed was nothing compared to that in the bottle…my mouth watered as I breathed in the floral and grassy notes of the oil…as if I could taste it.  Once again, I was lost in the moment….all I could do was breath deep.

We will go into the distillation process in more detail in another post but the bottom line is that you get very little essential oil from distillation and a whole lot of hydrosol. Hydrosol, also known as floral water, is a by-product from the distillation process. A hydrosol is like an essential oil but in far less  concentration…approx. .02% of essential oil is in the hydrosol.   The Kahns produce their hydrosol as a direct by product of the essential oil…they do not continue to distill after the oil is gone….thereby creating the most floral and natural hydrosol possible.  It reminds me of the first press of the olive….going for the best quality…always a good thing!

So this is the beginning of our new local journey together….I look forward to sharing more posts with you about the people I meet and the things that I learn along the way.  Keep checking back or sign up for our blog so you don’t miss out on any of our tales!

Posted on December 28, 2008 - by napavalleybath

New Harvest Report Email

WOW….ANOTHER GREAT HARVEST YEAR FOR THE NAPA VALLEY…AND OUR PORTFOLIO CONTINUES TO GROW! I GOT A CALL LAST WEDNESDAY FROM A MAN WHO WONDERED WHAT HE SHOULD DO WITH HIS 100+ TREES LOADED WITH OLIVES ON HIS PROPERTY IN THE RUTHERFORD BENCH….SO, I WENT OUT ON FRIDAY…..WE WALKED HIS PROPERTY AND TALKED ABOUT AN OVERALL STRATEGY…HIS TREES ARE ABOUT 8 YEARS OLD…..LOOKED LIKE MAINLY SPANISH VARIETALS WITH SOME ITALIAN SCATTERED ABOUT….IN GREAT SHAPE…HE’LL PROBABLY GET ABOUT 10 GALLONS THIS YEAR BUT ONCE HE STARTS A ROUTINE OF CARE, HIS TREES COULD END OF YIELDING UP TO 30 GALLONS OR SO…I’LL KEEP YOU POSTED!

AS FOR THIS YEAR’S RELEASES…THE NEW KID ON THE BLOCK….STAGECOACH VINEYARDS…..WOW….BEST OF BOTH WORLDS….THEY HAD BOTH ITALIAN VARIETAL TREES AND ARBEQUINA (SPANISH) VARIETAL. WE DECIDED TO PRESS THEM IN TWO LOTS….KEEPING THE ARBEQUINA A 100% VARIETAL EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL….THE ONLY ONE IN THE NAPA VALLEY I DO BELIEVE.

WE USED A STONE INSTEAD OF THE HAMMERMILL PRESS FOR BOTH LOTS. THE STONE PRESS TAKES A BIT OF THE BITTERNESS OFF AND IS PREFERABLE IF YOUR OLIVES ARE REAL GREEN….THE YIELD IS LESS SO MOST PEOPLE OPT FOR THE HAMMERMILL….BUT, WE THOUGHT WE’D RISK YIELD FOR QUALITY……IT PAID OFF! BOTH OILS HAVE A BUTTERY FINISH….WHICH IS RARE FOR A NAPA VALLEY OIL….BUT DON’T BE FOOLED…THEY BOTH WILL STILL MAKE YOU GRIMACE!

STAGECOACH ARBEQUINA EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL:
THE COMBINATION OF THE ARBEQUINA VARIETAL AND THE STONE PRESS RESULTED IN OUR MILDEST NAPA VALLEY EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL THIS YEAR….STILL BIG BY MOST STANDARDS….BUT SOFT….ALMOST AS IF SOMEONE MUTED THE BITTERNESS WHICH ALLOWED THE FRUITINESS TO TAKE THE FRONT SEAT…..AND THAT SEAT BEING MADE OF BUTTER….NOW THOSE AREN’T TECHNICAL TERMS….BUT HOPEFULLY YOU GET IT!

THE STAGECOACH ITALIAN BLEND:
AGAIN….THE BITTERNESS IS SLIGHTLY MUTED DUE TO THE STONE PRESSING…..BUT, UNLIKE THE ARBEQUINA, IT PACKS THAT ITALIAN PUNGENCY!
THIS MORNING I TOASTED A BAGUETTE, DRIZZLED THE STAGECOACH ITALIAN BLEND ON IT AND THEN SPOONED ON HOME MADE RASPBERRY JAM…THE INTENSE FRUITINESS WAS THE PERFECT COMPLIMENT TO THE SWEETNESS OF THE JAM….BROUGHT ME STRAIGHT BACK TO PANZANO WHERE I LEARNED TO PUT EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL ON MY TOAST….AND TOAST WAS ALWAYS A BAGUETTE….

Posted on November 10, 2008 - by napavalleybath

A LONG DAY……BUT ALL GOOD!

Some days you snooze….some days you cruise…..but most days you….hmmm can’t find a rhyme that means you pack a ridiculous amount into your day……well, today was that day! We harvested both Hornberger and Stagecoach today…..trucked around 3500 pounds of olives to Healdsburg to press….not much went as it was intended….never does in agriculture….but all went as it should…..lots of stories that I will tell and really good video of the pick and press….you just have to give me a bit to figure out imovie and some quiet time to get inspired to tell the stories…so many great moments today…but now I am beat…and am crashing to awake early to pick up our bounty….stay tuned!

Posted on November 10, 2008 - by napavalleybath

HORNBERGER AND STAGECOACH IN TODAY

After the second snooze hit, I realized that I had to get up or I’d never hit the aggressive deadlines of the day. I rolled out of bed…threw on some old jeans….shirt….sweatshirt….jacket……and boots……brushed my teeth…..pulled my hair back and headed for the door. Today was unlike other days…..there was no time for tea….or to think about what shirt went best….no time even to pack kids lunches….today was the day…..the day we wait for all year long….today was game day.

Posted on November 9, 2008 - by napavalleybath

HARVESTING HORNBERGER ESTATE TOMORROW!

The good news is we are bringing in the Hornberger olives tomorrow, Monday, November 10, 2008…..the not so good news is it is a very light harvest this year…..I’m expecting less than 10 gallons of oil…..this is always such a beautifully balanced oil….we have a 3pm press time……so we should have the oil by 9pm tomorrow night….I will give you the taste report on Tuesday…..and more details on the estate as well….gotta say goodnight as it is an early morning tomorrow with the coordination of the Stagecoach and Hornberger harvests…watch for our video of the day!

Posted on November 9, 2008 - by napavalleybath

TUTTLE ESTATE HARVEST REPORT

THE TUTTLE EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL HAS ARRIVED!!!! The Tuttle Estate is located on the Valley floor north of St. Helena. Our take this year was 15 gallons….our largest yet from this Estate….I will taste the oil for the first time tomorrow and give you all the scoop…….

Posted on November 9, 2008 - by napavalleybath

PEDREGAL ESTATE HARVEST REPORT

The Pedregal Estate is located in the Eastern HIlls of Oakville, Napa Valley. The Mendelson’s trees are a mix of older Spanish varietals that were originally brought over by the missionaries … and Italian varietals that were planted to border the Pedregal vineyards. Because the olives are harvested early, the estate always produces a BIG green fruity oil…the mixture of varietals and ages of the trees combine to produce an unique extra virgin olive oil. Our take is always quite small and it usually sells out with the first email announcing it’s release.

I spoke to Ralph and they are set to pick next week…..the harvest is light this year so we will probably end up with no more than 10 gallons. We will let the oil settle into Dec. and choose it’s release date based on how it settles….most likely mid December.

Posted on November 5, 2008 - by napavalleybath

OLIVAI “It should only be this good”

Just talked to Judy…..the olives are turning fast and she has set her harvest date for November 14, 2008. We will hold the oil for about a month so it’s release date will be mid December. Her harvest is down about 30%….better than expected….so, we should get at least 50 gallons this year…a bountiful harvest for the Napa Valley!

The Epstein’s oil is always a beautiful balance of fruitiness, bitterness and pungency. It will be interesting to taste this year’s harvest as it is two weeks later than last….technically it shouldn’t be as pungent straight out of the gate…we will have to wait and see….

Posted on November 3, 2008 - by napavalleybath

THE CALL IS MADE AT STAGECOACH!

I know…bad picture…it was pouring rain and my camera was malfunctioning….it was the best I could do.The good news….the flesh is turning purple…positive sign for the pick!

It has been pouring rain! I know I shouldn’t complain because we need the rain and we have had a beautiful Fall…but…it was quite an abrupt change in climate. We went from doors open in Rutherford with fans on to everything closed up….heaters running…and flooding in our entrance and offices….a bit hard on the psyche and the till. But….enough of that reality…..

As I drove the familiar path to the olive trees of Stagecoach Vineyards, I noticed a significant difference in the ripeness of the olives. The majority of the trees were purple…upon further investigation…I found that only about half of the purple trees, at best, had the purplish flesh that you see above. So…again…not quite ready…but VERY close.

The impulsive side of me wanted to call the pick immediately….how great to produce a HUGE oil that we don’t filter and sell for immediate consumption…Olio Nuovo…as the Italians call it. But, the practical side speaks louder….if we wait another week….we get a bit more yield…without missing out on BIG character…more yield means better pricing for you…quicker sales for me…..and happier folks right on down the line…I suppose we could pick later this week…but Kaelin is in the homecoming parade…and Thursday night she plays powder puff football and I have to bring dessert…..if only it were an exact science……and then I stopped…..I saw….and I listened…..it wasn’t today….but it was time….the trees were ready to give their gift….and I had to trust their message and make the call……

MONDAY NOVEMBER 10 2008 WILL BE OUR FIRST HARVEST OF STAGECOACH VINEYARDS OLIVES….

let the preparation begin….