Posts Tagged ‘travel’

Posted on March 18, 2010 - by Leslie Billera

Coming Clean

When are stores going to be rid of personal care products that are falsely advertised as ‘organic’?

We can’t say when, exactly, but we’ve got some good news: the USDA’s National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) is starting to put the pressure on.

Mislabeled Organic Personal Care Products: Solving the Problem

On November 5^th, the NOSB passed a recommendation entitled “Solving the Problem of Mislabeled Organic Personal Care Products.”

Highlights include:

• Third Party Certification: The recommendation urges the USDA National Organic Program (NOP) to ensure that any use of the word “organic” on a personal care product is backed up by third-party certification to USDA organic standards.

• Clearing Up Consumer Confusion: The recommendation notes that currently “at a given retailer, one may find personal care products such as shampoos and lotions labeled as ‘organic’ with no clear standards or regulatory underpinning for the organic claim – and unless the product is specifically labeled as ‘USDA Organic,’ the word ‘organic’ may be used with impunity.

• Quest for Clarity: The recommendation goes on to say that even well-meaning manufacturers are confused, noting that “manufacturers of personal care products that contain organic ingredients are hindered by a thicket of competing private standards and confusion regarding the applicability of the NOP to their products. Transactions lack the regulatory clarity that applies under the NOP to food products that contain organic ingredients.”

The over-arching goal is to have the USDA enforce the current agricultural standards in personal care like they do when conventional foods are mislabeled as organic.

What is ‘Organic’ in Relation to Personal Care Products?

Organic ingredients are plant oils or extracts or other unadulterated agricultural products.

To discern between marketing and meaning, use the Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep Cosmetic Safety Database. Its hazard rating to help you navigate the truth behind organic claims in personal care.  Search for products with a hazard score of 0-2 (versus 3-6 or the most egregious, 7-10). And don’t forget the truly pure organic goodness of small purveyors like Napa Valley Bath. We’re 100% transparent and offer a worry-free guarantee.

Read the entire NOSB recommendation and if you’re inspired, take action!

Posted on March 1, 2010 - by Leslie Billera

A Sea of Bodily Love: Sponges & Loofahs

We hope by now you’re treating yourself to at least one relaxing, aromatherapeutic bath a week that’s:

• Good for the earth: the non-toxic ingredients in organic bath and beauty products don’t wind up in our water streams.
• Great for your body: by making smart choices about the products you put on your skin, you’re investing your health.

Now it’s time to think about transporting all the nutrient-rich soaps, sea salts, scrubs and more available from Napa Valley Bath in the most eco-conscious way…

Sea and Be Seen

Opt for sea sponges versus synthetic sponges, which are typically made from petrochemicals.

For thousands of years, people have been cleansing themselves with multi-celled sea sponges. Sea sponges live in almost every aquatic environment, filtering nutrients from the water through their pores.

Real sea sponges:

• Are a non-endangered species, so they are greener alternative to synthetic sponges
• Regenerate, so there’s no worries about over-harvesting
• Hold a greater amount of water
• Biodegrade, so there’s no waste

So ditch that pink, plasticized pouf hanging in your shower – your green bath is truly sea sponge-worthy!

Love Your Loofah

Did you know that a loofah is a dried plant related to the squash family?  Loofah sponges can be used every day to:

• Give a boost to your circulatory system
• Cleanse and exfoliate your skin
• Help prevent cellulite build-up

Make sure that any loofah you buy is organically-grown and unbleached. In a DIY mood? Harvest your own!

Posted on February 18, 2010 - by Leslie Billera

Groom Your NVI (Napa Valley Intelligentsia)

Napa Valley conjures fields of lavender, sweeping vineyards and abundant olive trees.  But how much do you really know about Napa?

It’s time to ramp up on your Napa Valley dinner party parlance…

• Napa Valley is 30 miles long; its regions include American Canyon, Napa, Lake Berryessa, Yountville, Oakville/Rutherford, St. Helena, and Calistoga.

• In addition to its famous grapes, a wide variety of fruits and vegetables thrive in Napa including oranges, prunes, apples, olives and more.

• The Napa Valley is a name derived from the language of the area’s native Wappo Indians and has come to mean “land of plenty.”

• The Wappo Indians had no written language. They shared their ideas, stories, and feelings by speaking only. Stories and customs were passes down by parents to their children.

• 1823 marks the first written description of Napa. Word spread of the region’s abundance, and by the late 1840s, quicksilver mines and lumber mills had set up shop.

• Steamships ferried people from San Francisco, and the railroad carried tourists seeking the healing waters of Calistoga.

• Tough times did darken Napa’s sunny days:  Napa’s famous Silverado mine dried up in 1875, a grapevine disease in 1893 killed off most of the vines, and prohibition shut down most wineries altogether in 1920.

• In 1968, California’s first Agricultural Preserve was created. This zoning ordinance established agriculture and open space as the “best use” for the land within Napa County. Known as the “Ag Preserve,” it’s an agricultural model followed by many others today.

Now uncork one of Napa Valley’s hundreds of wines, start simmering the sauce, and over artisan bread dipped in the local extra virgin olive oil, enjoy a northern California-style dinner peppered with Napa Valley love and lore.

Posted on April 24, 2009 - by napavalleybath

What’s not to love?

Looking out from the duomo…

MORE ON THE WAY………

Posted on April 24, 2009 - by napavalleybath

Ricotta Fritta (Fried Ricotta)

Elizabetta’s was a nice respite from the rain…..we bid our usual ciaos and I announced my hope for the evening…..I wanted to make Ricotta Fritta (Fried Ricotta). I had found a recipe as I always do but SO look forward to Elizabetta’s spin. Today, she had a perplexed look and said ah yes….we make this in Tuscany…..but I don’t make too much…and then she went and grabbed a worn beautiful cookbook and began to explain how this chef is one of the best in Tuscany and he shops at her store every day…..and yes, he has the recipe…..

As I looked over her shoulder, she translated for me….and after we went through it all….she thought twice…I need to get a piece of paper….she looked everywhere on her desk and finally discovered a small tablet underneath some books…she tore a piece off and then went through the same routine with a pen.  Now armed with pen and paper, we went back through it again.  It was very different then the recipe I had found…

First you make the sauce…with flour, water, a bit of oil and two eggs.  I noticed the recipe didn’t have any measurements…but how do I know how much flour?  She looked at me in the eyes…perhaps with a bit of astonishment…she truly had a novice on her hands….ok….she said….you are making a sauce….you want it to look and feel like a sauce…that would cover the ricotta….that you could dip the ricotta in….so just do it that way….if it is too thick add more water….too thin add more flour….I must have looked a bit afraid as she then said…..ok about this much of flour….and held her thumb and finger apart so wide….and this much water…and opened them wider….and a splash of oil and the 2 eggas….I love the way she says eggs….eg gas.  Ok…I can do this!

She then went on to tell me how to make the ricotta…take the ricotta…I give to you exact amount you need…and add two eggs…and 100 oz. of parmesan cheese….ut oh….how much is 100 oz. I asked…not much she said…and then proceeded to pick up a piece of parmesan and show me about how much.  Mix it all together and finish it with salt.

Take a spoonful of the Ricotta mixture and dip it in the sauce…then place it in a pan with olive oil…don’t let them touch….and fry for a few minutes…should be brown on the outside and creamy ricotta in the middle.  Serve them hot….

As I walked out of Elizabetta’s that day, I couldn’t help but have a new feel for cooking….she was teaching me the “feel”….I never knew it had a “feel”.   Cooking is a lot of common sense…it can be a bit natural if you can cast the fear of failure aside….and I have failed….ask the girls about the ricotta and spinach canneloni I tried….we ended up having cornflakes for dinner…ha….but I have succeeded too…like the ricotta fritta…it was a HUGE success…the kids loved it….they loved that I was cooking and serving them right off the stove (of course I wasn’t sitting down)….and they talked about the look, texture and goodness…what it reminded them of….a food memory in our own kitchen!  They begged me to stop as I believe the recipe was for a cocktail party for 20 but I fried down to the last drop….we pulled them out of the frig the next day for lunch…along with the sundried tomatoes and extra virgin olive oil….and they were just as fabulous.

MY INGREDIENTS LIST AND DIRECTIONS ….. AND A LITTLE BIT OF RICOTTA FRITTA!

Posted on April 23, 2009 - by napavalleybath

Falling in love…

How could you not fall in love with this..….

Yesterday it was warm but there were dark clouds in the sky…..I knew the dry time was limited so I set out to do some of my daily tasks early….as I was walking my normal route to Elizabetta’s, I came across a small boutique that I hadn’t noticed before….I popped in and was overwhelmed by the abundance of stylish clothes at a reasonable price…and made in Italy….I’ve been good to date and mother’s day is just around the corner…so I purchased a few shirts and went on my way.

A few doors down was one of the many churches that I visit…this one is special because it is a church that we went to on our visit 8 years ago…and one that has a beautiful statue of the Virgin Mary with real candles to light….so, with my bag in hand,  I dropped in to have a chat with Mary and light a candle for a dear friend of mine…hung out for a bit to the sounds of a new organist trying his best at keeping a tune…and then went on my way…peacefully.

As I crossed the Piazza della Repubblica and headed toward the alley, my short cut, I knew I was running out of time….as I stepped into the alley, the sounds of thunder began to resonate off of the walls…and a light but consistent rain began to fall from the sky….I put my hood on…and watched my feet as they stepped feverishly from one wet cobblestone to the other……I began to hear another familiar sound….clippety clop clippety clop…..I looked up and trotting toward me at lightening speed was a beautiful white horse pulling a carriage….it was moving at a fast trot…down the cobblestone….like a scene out of an old movie….the grace in which this horse moved was like that of a ballerina….fluid in motion… mane blowing in the wind….classic.   As it came closer, the thunder roared again.  I stepped up on the sidewalk and watched the horse trot by…wow…so beautiful….so surreal.   This was not the first time that I felt like I had stepped back in time….or onto a movie set.

Elizabetta’s was a nice respite from the rain…..we bid our usual ciaos and I announced my hope for the evening…..I wanted to make fried ricotta.  I had found a recipe as I always do but so look forward to Elizabetta’s spin.  She had a perplexed look and said ah yes….we make this in Tuscany…..but I don’t make too much…and then she went and grabbed a worn beautiful cookbook and began to explain how this chef is one of the best in Tuscany and he shops at her store every day…..and yes, he has the recipe…..continue this story and recipe at sholiveoil.com/recipe.

I picked up a few extra things from Elizabetta…organic sun dried tomatoes and fresh mozzarella…..one of our new favorite crostinis is bread…arugula…mozzarella….sundried tomatoes and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and sea salt.  Emily likes to add Balsamic Vinegar…which is also a nice add.  It’s not easy to find high quality sundried tomatoes…we sell the best I could find back home.  I always make sure the tomatoes are packed in Extra Virgin Olive Oil….not an olive oil or canola oil….it usually means the producer is serious about their ingredients.

Anyway, Elizabetta also sent me home with the most adorable package of Confettra Di Cotogne..she tried to explain what it was but I couldn’t understand…the picture on the little box looked like a potato hanging on a tree and she was describing it by picking up lemons and oranges and putting them together …I wasn’t getting it.  She said to put it on cheese…very very good…. I was curious and sold.  I had to get parmesan for the fried ricotta so she said to slice a thin piece and add “this” and it is wonderful.  (And it is wonderful….it is simply quince jam…but solid..not jammy….perfect with cheese….).  And by the way…if you are going to serve it….you may want to call it “confettura di cotogne”…gives it a bit more pizazz then quince jam.

I loaded up my bag….bid my ciao grazies and off I went….back across town.  I came the back way and took a left off of Via De Neri and up the alley way to our flat…before I reached our flat, I ducked into my right to see Christian, over pasta man.  Christian makes fresh pasta from organic flour from their ranch every day(except Sundays).  It’s quite an operation….I asked for spagetti today….per quattro persone come al solito….he smiles goes in the back and gets the dough that he made that morning….cuts it based on how much he thinks we need….puts it in a machine that flattens it (all the machines are old…traditional)….he then takes it and puts it in a machine that cuts it into the pasta…he cuts the strings in half and proceeds to the cutting board..where he carefully places it on the wax paper…adds some more organic semolina….and mixes it a bit…and then closes the package with great care.

“Abbiamo oggi il pane” he says….ah their organic bread that they make on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays only….always a treat.  So, he adds a loaf of bread to my bag….and rings me up….3.50euro for the pasta and 1.50euro for the panne.   As I’m bidding my ciao grazies and buono serata (he taught me to say buono sera when I arrive and buona serata when I leave)….Christian reminds me…ravioli domani!  I smile….they only make ravioli on Fridays…with spinaci and ricotta….why?  Because on their farm they make ricotta on Thursday only.  There is such charm to limited availability….when it is based on such goodness….it puts you in a food rhythm….and makes everything special. And when people are out…they are out….so you learn to get their early….I’ve been late a few times…and went without…and although disappointed…there is even a charm to that!

With my bag pulling at my shoulder and my lower back screaming in pain, I tighten my abdomen to take off some of the pressure….reminding me I STILL haven’t joined the gym……and then I turn the corner to my flat and bid ciao to the familiar neighbors….walk up two flights of stairs……and plop the goods on the table.  The three teenagers entranced in their computers jump up with excitement and ask what I got from Elizabetta….and what kind of pasta we were having….they help unpack the goods with a gleam in their eye as if it was a stocking at Christmas time….we pour ourselves a bit of Chianti and put dinner together…talking about Elizabetta…the recipes…our day….the food….tomorrow…life….and the haute dog beauty contest that we have just entered Bella and Alli in. ☺  We share a wonderful meal…..the kids fight about the dish duties….and I retire on the couch…..I read a bit and then put my book down on my lap….glance out the window as the church bells ring…this is still so surreal….the beauty of it all…..I never knew such a thing was possible…but I admit….I have truly fallen in love with this life….within this City…how will I ever go home?

I hope your days are filled with beauty!

Posted on April 9, 2009 - by napavalleybath

Grounded by David Picci

I continue to amazed at the people I’ve met on this journey….the passion….the heart…..the soul….it’s everywhere….and David Picci was no exception. I will admit that I had my doubts…I’ve met enough “experts” in my industry to be a little jaded. I also have less patience to listen to ego….so as I shook David’s hand….in a small parking lot in Figline….I was guarded. He immediately began to speak about the olive tree…the conversation started with pruning…went to varietals….pressing….harvest….oils….all over the map. I let him do most the talking as I have learned the art of listening…I have found if you listen as if you can hardly hear then you can discover not only the content of the words but also that of the person behind them…and as we neared the end of all we could say in a parking lot, I had a sense….that David was a man not only passionate about his trade but also about the earth that it was connected to….so needless to say, I didn’t hesitate to take him up on the invitation to see his orchards.

The drive to the orchards was framed with fields of olive trees….everywhere….and no straight rows….or plowed fields….but all pruned the same…..the centers wide open….at home the olive tree is the side show, if that, to the vineyard…..here, it steals the show….

I have attached the video of some of our conversation. I thought you might enjoy hearing knowledge passed down from generations….and although the content might not be pertinent to you, maybe David’s soul will come through, as it did on that day…and maybe you will feel the inspiration of a man who is driven by passion for his trade…..because David does not drive around with a “green” sticker on his car nor does he brag about his “sustainability”….because once again….it is simply who he is….and if there is one lesson that I have learned on this journey… it is that when you are true to yourself then you don’t have to say a word….you radiate your message because you are IT.

Posted on March 17, 2009 - by napavalleybath

Understanding Green

I haven’t stopped thinking about my visit to the country….and the people who I met.  When I think back, I feel as if it were all a dream…people don’t really live like that anymore.   But then I glance up and see the tin of extra virgin olive oil that they generously bestowed on me as I was leaving and realize….it was not a dream…it was real…..actually more real then any real I have known before…and that is why it feels like a dream.

I have to say my thoughts are not all pleasant….there is the beauty of the experience but there is also a nagging…you know when something just doesn’t feel right but you’re not quite sure why….that’s it…that’s the feeling that is shrouding the experience……at first I thought it might have been the pigeon as I still can’t look one in the eye…but then I quickly realized that it was more then that….much more then that….my thoughts kept bringing me back to green….sustainability.

We are a world that is yearning to be green….fighting for the survival of our planet.  We are recycling…buying local…using solar…..downgrading our cars…..and buying very cool shopping bags to carry our groceries home.  You hear individuals almost bragging about how green they are…..and businesses, including ours, let everyone know they are green…it’s everywhere…hey look at me….I’m green.  And on this farm, in the Tuscan countryside, it was no where.  There were no color coded recycling bins….no “green is the new black” stickers on the windows…and no assortment of groovy grocery bags hanging in the kitchen….no….none of that.  There was no talk at the table of “sustainability” or  “green” practices….there was just laughter….and love…and the best vin santo I have ever tasted.

And as I sat on the wrong train going home that day, I began to process it all….the pigs in the pens…and the pigs on the salt table…the chicken and pigeons feathered and hanging in the room off the kitchen…for tomorrow’s dinner…..the ten “tail ends” of the pig hanging in the other room off of the dining room….with names on each…as its divided among the neighbors…and the same with the salami….there was the huge clump of pig lard hanging to be used to moisturize hands, gloves and boots….ah…and of my favorite…the attic….where the wine was kept…with the vin santo…and the grappa….in old wooden barrels crusted over with dried juices dating back 63 years….and the drying mats for the figs….so beautifully made….and the jar of anice that is sprinkled on the figs when they dry….the figs were so sweet..like candy…yet soft enough to almost melt in your mouth….yes, I thought about all of this….and the eggs in the basket in the dining room….one with chicken eggs, one with turkey…and the cavolo nero….a green that grows wild in their fields…that they picked that day for our salad…and the milking cows….laying in the sun….yes, all of this went through my head on the wrong train home.

The wrong train?….oh crap…the wrong train!…as I came back to the scene outside my window, I realized that I was leaving the City that I loved so much….and…ah….that I lived in..oh man…I’m on the wrong train….I jumped off at the next stop, figuring a train would be going the other way…right?…ya just not for quite some time….and the station was desolate…I only hoped I had it right this time…

And so I sat….just me and my tin of olive oil…..with the sun beginning to fade and the air beginning to chill…and as I sat on the bench…completely alone…overlooking Florence and its countryside…..my thoughts ran right back to my new friends…

Isn’t it ironic that we cry for green yet we allow a life style that is truer to green then anything most of us will ever know, die out.  Yes…die out.  We are not allowing the most sustainable to be sustained.  There is a myriad of reasons why their infrastructure is breaking down but the bottom line is that it becomes less and less feasible to live a sustainable lifestyle….even for people who have lived this way for generations.  There is something so ironic about this….something so wrong.  We should be celebrating these people…learning from them…and the past…..doing what we can to ensure their lifestyle will continue…so we can continue.

Honestly, I think we may be too busy shopping at whole foods…and our local farmers market…and looking cool with the latest green bag….to notice….and I am speaking to myself so please don’t get offended….but that day, in the Tuscan countryside,  I noticed…and I cannot forget…no matter how many glasses of Chianti that I consume…I cannot forget…and I don’t want to forget…I want to grab hold of every piece of that farm, that existence, those people…and not let them go…it’s something carnal…as if I have awakened a part of me…that we all must have….that yearns for the simplicity of this existence….I want to go back…and sleep beneath the hanging prosciutto, in the room with the attic to the elixir of course…and wake up at sunrise…and well..I don’t know…whatever you do on a farm first thing…and work hard…with my hands..outside..and eat what grows around me…at a table filled with love and laughter…and ah..yes..vin santo!….and at the end of the day, feel the exhaustion and the satisfaction that comes with a physical days work….and curl up…back under the prosciutto for a peaceful nights rest.

I’m pretty tough…but not that tough.  These people are amazing souls..and they deserve to be supported and sustained.   And although I want to set up camp and live the life of these farmers…and find out everything there is to know about their way of life…and preserve it in some way…I also know that my reality is providing for my family…in the way that I know best….and taking from this a bit more knowledge….and understanding….to not try to be “green” but just try to live in harmony with the earth…using common sense….like they have since the beginning of time.

And as the right train pulls up to the station….I grab my tin of extra virgin olive oil, climb on board and sit quietly close to the door.  I watch the City of Florence as it slowly comes back into view….while the last heat from the setting sun warms my face…I smile….it feels good to be home.

Posted on March 12, 2009 - by napavalleybath

ROOM 1 – real people.real food.real life.

I wanted to start with the room off the living room…where the preparation of prosciutto had begun….but I think we should start at the beginning…..which would be the confusion of the train station….a bit stale so  maybe we will just begin on the train where I sit across from two women….who happened to be from San Jose, CA….and our sharing of experiences…that all led to the exchange of the best food we had found….but we have talked enough about food…..so maybe the debarking from the train and the greeting from someone I had never met….who invited me to visit her home…and share in her experiences….as an American in Italy….but probably it’s best if we get right to it….

As we wound around the hillside with olive oil trees in every direction, my new friend began to tell me the story of her neighbors.  They were an older couple who had been married and lived in this home together for 53 years….the home had been in the family for 63 years….they are true farmers…living off the land.  They have olive trees for oil, grapes for wine, vin santo, grappa….cows for milk and probably cheese…chickens, roosters and turkeys….pigs..always pigs…..they are hunters…of rabbit…pigeon..boar to name a few…they visit the market in the neighboring town but for the most part….they are self sustained….not because they are joining the slow food movement….but because they have lived the slow food movement…and it’s what they know…and it’s who they are.  They are real people……they eat real food….and they live real life.

The road to their house is gravel…and winds gracefully through the hillside….  The sun is shining and you can see olive trees for miles…homes scattered throughout the countryside….animals grazing….and dogs…tormented by the cats…..soaking in the sun.  We wind around a few different homes before we pull into the cobblestone driveway of her neighbor’s house.  Outside is an elderly gentlemen sweeping the cobblestone…slowly and methodically…looking up only to see who had scattered dust onto his cobblestones.  As I get out of the car I am greeted by a very happy black lab of sorts….smiling and wagging his tail….I look over across the gravel road and see an old stone building…a small barn…with chickens and roosters headed both ways through the open door as if it was the local watering hole….I’m drawn to barns…have been ever since childhood…..I loved to hang out with my pony in her stall…..sometimes laying next to her when she slept….or hanging out in the bales of hay…chewing on alfalfa….and playing with the kittens….why is it that barns are always full of kittens?

As we were waiting on some other neighbors to show, I meandered over to the barn.  I wish I had the literary skills to describe this to you…..I have seen it many times back home…..it’s what everyone tries to recreate…the old tuscan barn….but this was different…it was real.  It had a little window above the door…and I noticed that it was cracked open about a half of foot….and it was rigged with string that came down and tied to the side of the stone barn….so you could adjust it from where you stood….I stared for while…thinking about how practical this was…and how we make things so complicated….with technology and money….and so many things can be so simple.

A sudden jolt from the dog awakens me from my thoughts.  I place his paws back on the ground and walk slowly into the barn….  Lowering my head as I pass through the door….the chickens and roosters gather around my legs…as if they were insisting on showing me their home…out of respect, I let them in first..in retrospect I do not even remember the purpose of the first room that I entered…for I was drawn immediately to the second….it was filled with hay…bales and bales…less in the front so I could take a seat…and breath in the smell of farm….and as I was breathing in I was soaking in the natural beauty of the hay against the stone walls….not a facade…but real stone….built by hand…stone by stone…none perfect…all perfect.  As I was envisioning curling up on the next level of hay with a good book I was awakened by the summoned by the sounds of Buongiornos….as I knew my time was up, I quickly glanced around…trying to memorize every stone and every bale of hay…took a deep breath and registered it with my senses and begged for retention….and then followed my feathered friends out the door.

Next blog…..the view of the countryside and the story of the countess.

Posted on March 12, 2009 - by napavalleybath

Real People…Real Food…Real Life.

We continue to have days filled with memorable experiences….too many to keep up with…but yesterday was a highlight…not only of our trip but I believe of my life.  I was invited to lunch in the countryside….long story…but the result was sitting in the home of a true Tuscan farming family…sharing a meal that was produced off of their land…from the pigeon…to the rabbit…to the cavolo nero…to the olio….vino….grappa and vin santo…..these people are truly living a life that is green…not because they want to be cool and groovy….but because it is their way of life…and it is not easy…as seen by the calloused hands and weathered skin…but they are joyful…and so loving….and SO well fed!

I will share the story of my day in my blog as I feel the inspiration to write….I think I may take it room by room….but where would I start….probably the room off of the living room where there was a table close to the size of the room…with heavy plastic covering the wood….and heaps of salt scattered throughout the surface…..you could barely make out the pink color of the tail ends of the pigs through the salt…the pigs had just been slaughtered…and the preparation had begun…..in a room just off of the living room…..