Sunday, December 10, 2006

‘Tis the Season of Peace…Oil

Want a gift for the person who has everything? Or the fastidious gourmand on your gift list?

Try Peace Oil:

Peace Oil
Peace Oil is produced in Israel by Jews, Arabs, Druze and Bedouin working together. Grown in the foothills of the Carmel Mountains, the olives are pressed within hours of picking, to produce this prize winning extra virgin olive oil.

An initiative of registered UK charity The Charities Advisory Trust, Peace Oil encourages co-operation between communities. By helping to market their produce it hopes to bring economic prosperity to such enterprises, encouraging others to follow their example.

Profits from Peace Oil are used to support peace and reconciliation work in the Middle East.

According to the website, the land on which the olives trees were planted was formerly laid waste during the reign of the Ottoman Empire:

- - - - - - - - - -
Our oil is from the Suria variety olives, grown in the foothills of the Carmel Mountains. They are grown organically, but because of the non-organic farming neighbours, do not have organic certification.

Next year, Peace Oil will also be offering oil with organic certification. These are produced on land laid waste by the Ottomans (before the 1st World War the whole of the middle east was part of the Ottoman Empire). The trees were cut down for timber, which led to degradation and erosion of the hillsides. They are now re-planted with olive trees, which as they mature will produce wonderful quality oil.

The website does not say whether they ship to the US, but the prices they have listed seem reasonable.

I think I’ll send this to the powers that be at Amazon…see if they’ll list it.

Which reminds me: don’t forget to buy your Danish Christmas cookies. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find the Danish paté on their listings anymore. On the other hand, I do notice that Lurpak butter is available. I found it on sale recently at Whole Foods. The reason it's better is that it has fewer milk solids and a higher percentage of cream, which improves the flavor. It's similar to Plus Gras, except the latter is French and more expensive...and good girls don't buy French foods, even if they could afford them.

So…I have proposed Peace Oil and Bellicose Cookies. Probably don’t want to eat them as part of the same meal, though.


Hat tip: Corporate Presenter, via James Higham’s Blog Focus

15 comments:

Wally Ballou said...

For your Danish shopping list - I would also recommend "Scandinavian Delights Wild Blueberry Danish Spread" - "produced without boiling". This is the best blueberry preserve I have ever tasted. It is sweet, so not on Dymphna's diet, but for those less glycemically challenged, it's worth a try. The flavor is very intense, so you can use less. Wonderful on ice cream.

I found it at "The Homestead", but also at a little Mennonite store in Farmville, VA, so it's around. There are other flavors, as well.

You can get it online at Cardullo's and other places. Just Google for "Scandinavian Delights"
(with your porn filter on ;-})

Wally Ballou said...

Or check this place out for all kinds of Danish goodies. Such as Gløgg Mix - Gløgg is a mixture of wine, spices and booze. So mix some of this up and get quietly Gløggy this Christmas.

recipe

kepiblanc said...

The Peace oil is fine, but LUPAK BUTTER....no, no and NO !

Please don't buy ANYTHING from Swedish/"Danish" company ARLA FOODS (aka Allah Fools).

That company disgraced itself and the entire nation during the Motoon intifada by flattering the Barbarians in the most disgusting way thinkable : "We respect the tolerance and humanity of Islam" - (puke). They are an example of capitalism gone ballistic : greed without limits and betraying their country for a few silver dollars. Besides, they are a Microsoft-style robber-baron company, crushing every sign of competition by whatever means it takes.

They have a nation-wide boycott on their hands. No self-respecting Dane would touch them with a mile-long pole.

X said...

Gögg! My wife got me in to this last christmas. I'm looking forward to it again this year. :)

I'll look out for this peace oil. It might be good stuff.

Faultline USA said...

Thanks for the info about the Peace Oil. Sounds like a wonderful product! By the way, I've added you to our blogroll.

Jeremy Jacobs said...

JCS, what's it like being a cynic eh?

GOV, tx for the post.

Panday said...

Jeremy,

History is a bit more on JCS's side on that matter.

Profitsbeard said...

Why do I picture the bottle, filled with petrol and having a burning wick in its mouth, grasped in the hands of Hezbollah maniacs and about to be hurled toward a house in Tel Aviv or Haifa?

I do not support wishful thinking.

I'll buy "Apostate Oil", if they start pressing that.

Peace Oil. Feh!

I'm with JCSC on this.

Dymphna said...

Why do I picture the bottle, filled with petrol and having a burning wick in its mouth, grasped in the hands of Hezbollah maniacs and about to be hurled toward a house in Tel Aviv or Haifa?

I don't know why you picture these things. Maybe you watch too much al Jazeera?

Or...

Because you suffer from a deficit in discernment?

Because all you have is a sledge hammer and thus everything deserves a good thumping?

Because you think in black and white and cant' picture the green olive trees of Mt. Carmel?

Discrimination advised here: look at the four groups of people working the olive groves. Notice they are working in small groups. So...the Bedouins are going to turn on the other three and start a conflagration?

Peace is a process, just like war is. It takes place along a continuum. It doesn't work without a structure and an outcome that the group can predict as a possibility for itself.

This may not be allowed to work. Hezbollah could well charge in and destroy the process. But it won't be because of what these people are doing.

A little less sledge-hammer thinking, please.

And Merry Christmas, baby Jesus Christ Supercop. May the Christ Child bring you peace throughout the coming year.

Douglas V. Gibbs said...

I'm sure the peace oil doesn't mix well with the dirty water of radical Islam.

Dymphna said...

ummm...why in the world would you want to mix the two, Mr. Gibbs?

Papa Ray said...

Before about 2001, I never cooked with olive oil. But about the time Sarah was born, my doctor (the same one that told me to have two drinks a day) told me to start using olive oil instead of veg. or canola oil.

I have followed his advice. Our food tastes better and I have grown used to it. I found that buying it in the big bottles is cheaper in the long run.

But be aware, that if you don't use it much, buy the little bottles, because it will spoil in a couple of months after opening. I don't know if keeping it in the frig would help. Google it and find out.

Olive oil has many uses, I'm happy that it has found one more.

Papa Ray

Dymphna said...

Papa Ray--

In your climate, refrigeration of any oil is probably a good idea. It will turn olive oil a bit cloudy and thick but those disappear when it comes to room temp. Just take out what you need, let it warm up and return the rest of the cold bottle to the fridge.

Most oils are unstable and when they go rancid using them is harmful. You can usually tell by the smell, which is slightly "off."

I use coconut oil also, which is considered a no-no by some docs because it's a saturated oil, but it is very stable and won't go rancid.

In addition, I also like lard.

Fats of any kind I can handle. It's the carbs that do me in. Except for the five percenters, like greens, string beans, etc.

Tomorrow I am making some clam chowder using salt pork to cook the onions and celery. See, I'm really a Neanderthal at heart and should be eating wildebeest at every opportunity-- and not much else. Which I would, if someone would just come into my yard and shoot one of the damn things before they finish off the azaleas.

Anonymous said...
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Jeremy Jacobs said...

Using "salt pork".

Now you're being offensive!!


lol