Gourmet Olives from California

I bought an olive tree cutting last fall. It has sprouted new shoots but they say it takes 5 years before olive trees begin bearing fruits. Right now it's still in a pot and this is how it looks so it will be a LONG... wait before we start harvesting olives and curing them at home.

As I was searching for a source of fresh olives to pickle, I read about the family-owned business of Maurice and Cindy Penna.  Their company has a 100 acres farm located in California's Northern Sacramento Valley where olives are grown, processed and packed.  By September they expect to have fresh olives for sale at Penna Olives.  In their website, they have a  lye process for curing fresh olives and a Mediterranean process for curing fresh olives to convert extremely bitter fresh olives to gourmet olives in about one to two weeks.

I can't wait to try this! Have you cured your own olives at home? Hope you stay tuned when I post about my olive curing experiments.

This sponsorship is brought to you by Penna Gourmet Foods who we have partnered with for this promotion.

What do you put on your watermelon? And Winner of Real Salt Giveaway

For me nothing is as iconic of summers than watermelons!

In the tropics, summers are almost unbearably hot and humid.  The stifling heat just bears down on you leaving your skin feeling sticky even when sitting under the shade. 

In Texas and Oklahoma, summers bring triple-digit temperatures that just DRY you out!  

Nothing is as refreshing on these dog days of summer like ice-cold watermelon just out of the fridge! Most of my friends eat watermelon with nothing on it. Others squirt lime juice on it. But I season mine with salt.

What do you put on your watermelon?

Real Salt Giveaway Winner is : Jennifer

Please get in touch with us by email so we can send your Real Salt Goodie Pack.

Bag of Salad Greens: Yes, Grow Salads In a Bag Of Soil!!

Margarita's Avocado Tacos

I'm an avocado fan!  Would you believe I eat avocados every day? Avocados are rich in the good kind of fats- raw, plant-based and nutrient dense monounsaturated fats with  omega 3 (alpha linolenic acid) and omega 6 (linoleic acid)s. It also contains fat soluble vitamins - C, E and K, vitamin B6, folate, potassium, magnesium and lutein.  Most days, it costs less than a dollar each at Sunflower Market -- so cheap but so nutritious!

With my anticancer diet, one thing I really avoid is sugar because it feeds cancer cells.  Sometimes I need an evening snack. Instead of eating a slice of cheese, bread, pie, cake or sweet snack, I’d slice an avocado, scoop up the flesh and eat half of it!  It’s so filling and comforting to my tummy.  So much better than eating carbs that’s converted to sugar in the blood resulting in a sugar spike.

Did you know Avocados from Mexico’s website has a fan section: "Recipes from Avocado Lovers" ?   Would you like to try recipes from avocado fans?  If so, check it out.  You might even want to share your own favorites here ==>  submit a recipe to the Recipes From Avocado Lovers website from Avocados From Mexico  You can upload recipes, download wallpapers, ringtones and other fun items too.  I enjoy trying out new avocado recipes. Here's a taco recipe from one of my amigas. The real star of this taco is avocado.


Margarita’s Avocado Tacos

4 flour tortilla (small)
2 Tbsp butter from grass-fed cows
¼ tsp garlic powder
1 avocado, sliced
1 small onion, sliced
1 tomato, sliced
fresh lime juice
½  cup shredded Sharp or Monterey cheese
cilantro/parsley sprigs

In a skillet, warm the flour tortillas to make them pliable.
Mix butter and garlic powder and spread thinly over warmed tortilla.
Spread a little butter and sprinkle garlic powder over the warmed tortilla.
Add sliced avocados, onions, tomatoes and cilantro/parsley. Squeeze lime over taco and top with cheese.
Fold tortilla and enjoy!



Disclaimer: “This sponsorship is brought to you by Avocados From Mexico who we have partnered with for this promotion.”