Posts Tagged ‘harvest’

Posted on March 13, 2010 - by Leslie Billera

Cooking with Lavender

We’ve waxed on about the soothing, healing power of lavender in your bath, on your skin and as stress-reliving aromatherapy

It’s time to talk about spreading the lavender love around your kitchen. Read on for recipes ranging from Peppered Lavender Beef to Lavender Chocolate Bars to a yummy Lavender Syrup!

Lavender: An Incredible, Edible Flower

Cooking with edible flowers goes back as far as Roman times. Lavender provides a sweet, floral flavor, with lemon and citrus notes. Thanks to its strong scent and flavor, a little goes a long way. Choose organic lavender flowers – they are the safest, healthiest way to cook with lavender.

Lavender: Savory and Sweet

There’s a bouquet of ways that lavender contributes to culinary delights.

On the savory side, lavender adds delicate flavor to pastries, meats, beverages and more.  The secret to success when using edible flowers is to keep the dish simple – don’t use too many other flavors that will overpower the delicate taste of the flower. Here are some top tips for savory success with lavender;

• Substitute lavender in place of rosemary in any recipe.
• Bake scones or shortbread and infuse the cream with dried lavender flowers or press the flowers through a sieve with the flour
• Go all out:  try making Peppered Lavender Beef using Organic Lavender Flowers– and let us know how it turns out!

Not only is lavender an interesting ingredient in sweets, it adds a colorful visual accent. For lavender’s sweet side, you can…

• Sprinkle lavender in a glass of champagne for a sweet flavor and gorgeous garnish
• Bake it  into sweets, like this Lavender Chocolate Bar recipe. This recipe also makes an unusual gift idea!
• Make a syrup with dried lavender flowers and use it to sweeten limeade, lemonade or iced tea, or pour over berries, warm cake, pancakes ice cream and more!

Lovely Lavender Syrup:

• 1/3 cup plus 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon peel
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 2 teaspoons dried lavender blossoms

Mash 1/3 cup sugar and lemon peel in small bowl to blend well. (Lemon sugar can be made 3 days ahead. Cover and store at room temperature.)

Bring 1/2 cup sugar, 1/2 cup water, honey, and lavender to boil in heavy small saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until lavender flavor is pronounced, about 3 minutes. Strain syrup into small bowl. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and let stand at room temperature. Rewarm syrup before continuing.)

Recipe via Epicurious.com

Please report back if you try any of these recipes and your fellow lavender enthusiasts know how it went!

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….

Posted on October 22, 2008 - by napavalleybath

CALLING THE PICK AT STAGECOACH

Today I got a call today from Jason at Krupp Vineyards…he thought the olives were turning…I needed to come check them out. My initial thought was that it was VERY early…I had been hearing from other growers and producers that the fruit was coming in early…so, amidst website issues and computers crashing, I jumped in my SUV…told my staff I’d be back in an hour….and sped off.

It was a beautiful day….80+ degrees….I arrived at the ranch to find Jason and Jan preoccupied with their grape harvest. They gave me a map and off I drove into the maze of the 1000+ acres. Okay…so I got lost once…but I finally made my way to the acreage of the olives. I drove to the far end of the trees….got out of my car…anticipating that I would spot check the trees and then make my assessment. As I began to hike to the end of the row, I felt the pull of the trees….each and every one of them….I needed to look at every tree…and assess its health…and the maturity of the fruit….it was as every tree needed to be seen….recognized….and acknowledged for the fruit it was about to bear.

I know that sounds crazy but I couldn’t help myself…..ask my friends…I am not what you would consider a naturalist…I don’t commune with plants…matter of fact I have been cut off at the nursery for real plant purchases….AND….just 20 minutes prior I was engulfed in heated conversations with our website developers while guiding my retail staff through the manual transactions with customers due to our system crash…I was not in the mood for nature and intended to only do a cursury review of the trees in order to get back to the “real” world…but the power of mother nature was too great to deny…and She had different plans….

In astonishment, three hours later, I had bonded with the last olive tree……I had not only documented every row…where it was in maturity….evidence of fruit fly….dehydration….etc…but I had introduced myself to every tree…I mean so to speak…I’m not nuts….I simply showed my respect to every tree…and overall, there was very little weakness in the fruit…I think I was right…this is going to be a very special harvest.

Stagecoach was not ready to pick….. there were trees with purple and black olives…but, if I broke them open the flesh was still too green. An olive tree can fool you…the skin turns before the flesh…so, you always have to check inside. There is no scientific method to calling the pick….I look for a majority of purple olives….bleeding purple in the flesh…..preferably mixed with trees that are still green…and then I make the call. I don’t know when that will be for Stagecoach but I know that it is not today…