SISTER JULIE'S OLIVE OIL
Extra Virgin, Extra Good
What makes it special?
Care and good will every step of the way
GOLD MEDAL WINNER!
2009 Los Angeles International Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Competition: The country's largest olive oil competition.
 SUSTAINABLY
FARMED AND MORE:
Planted on the rolling hills of our Sonoma County homestead,
our trees have grown up naturally, free of chemical fertilizers, weed
killers and insecticides and using only drip irrigation.
The trees are planted on the peaceful slopes of our
Sonoma County farm. They are beautiful to see dancing in the breeze.
The hundreds of birds they shelter provide sweet evening music. The
trees grow naturally and we use no harmful products. When the time is
right the olives are gently picked by hand (with the help of many friends)
and cold pressed within a few hours in a slow process that guarantees
the flavor and quality of this triumphant oil. We often hold our evening
meditations in the beautiful, peaceful groves. Many of our olive trees
have been dedicated by our friends in memory or in honor of loved ones.
Thus, our olive trees are loved and blessed by many hearts and hands.
(Does it make the oil taste better? We don't know, but it is a lovely/special/important
ingredient.)
HAND HARVESTED:
Like all fresh fruits, olives must be treated gently.
Friends and volunteers help us pick the olives by hand. An old-fashioned,
neighborly way to harvest.
COLD PRESSED WITHIN HOURS:
Great olive oil needs to be processed within a few hours.
As baskets of fruit are brought in from the field, Sister Julie begins
pressing them in the barn. It is a slow process and care is taken every
step of the way to guarantee the flavor and quality of this triumphant
oil.
BEFORE THE OIL THERE ARE THE TREES
In 2001 we began to plant our olive groves. We now have
1,800 trees. They are Italian varieties: Frantoio 28%, Leccino 26%,
Moraiolo 13%, Maurino 8%, and Pendolino 7%, from Tuscany; Canino 7%,
from Latium; and Taggiasca 11%, from Liguria.
The nuns in the ancient Tuscan monastery of Valserena,
in Italy, who are considered to have the finest olive oil in the Cistercian
Order of monks and nuns, suggested this blend to us. "Treat your olive
trees like children," the abbess directed. And we do. We pressed the
first oil for ourselves in 2006.
On our farm, mowing the rows between the olive trees
is an important task in preparation for the harvest in the late autumn.
It is a long and tedious job but it has its rewards. We start at dawn
when it is cooler. Guiding the tractor and mower through the fields
requires a person's full attention. Even so, you spot the family of
quail scurrying from row to row. Little birds swoop from their nests.
Big ones drift in the breeze high above. The occasional jackrabbit or
wild turkey cautiously peers from around a tree trunk, unaware of a
kitten with dreams of glory perched on a tree limb.
Sister Julie is the one who does most of the mowing
here. She once wrote:
Up one side of the row, down the other, and a third pass through the
middle. The tractor hugs the ground. I feel like I know every inch of
the land, every bump and ridge and gully. And while I do what I can
to take care of it, I know that in reality, the land is taking care
of me.
It is understandable these peaceful fields are a favorite
place for visiting friends to stroll. Here are some pictures of the
folks who bring the oil from our fields to your table. Many friends
help with the process. <Click here for
a photo gallery of our olive harvest>
 AND
IT TASTES GREAT TOO!
Loved by Mediterranean people for centuries, premium
quality artisan olive oil is a new taste experience for many. Our gold-winning
robustly intense oil will enliven your salads and vegetables, wake up
a Tuscan bean soup or minestrone, make a magnificent pesto sauce for
your pasta. For more recipes click here.
TREAT YOURSELF TO A BOTTLE - AND ORDER SOME FOR GIFTS
Certified Extra Virgin by the California Olive Oil Council,
Sister Julie's Olive Oil is high in health-giving polyphenols. Stored
out of the sunlight it will stay fresh for two years - but chances are
you'll use it up long before that! Take a bottle as a gift to friends
when you go for dinner. Let us send some with your greetings for holidays,
birthdays, anniversaries, housewarmings or any occasion.
Note: Please call for
shipping charges to Alaska and Hawaii.
Ordering
The Buy Now buttons take you to our
secure, online shopping cart. You may also place an order by contacting
us below at:
... or you may use our PDF order form and fax it to us at the fax
number above:
Many thanks to all who purchase, donate, and support
us in these trying times. Your caring, gifts, and purchases make a difference
in the lives of many children, and bring love and hope to the world.
Holiday Gifts
For more information about, or to purchase our holiday
gifts please <click here>.
Books
For more information about, or to purchase our books,
please <click here>.
Grown by Starcross Monastic Community. Harvested,
pressed and distributed by Starcross Family Confraternity and Friends.
Ingredients: 100% Cold Pressed Extra Virgin
Olive Oil. Bottled in the USA.
Proceeds help wholesomely conserve and sustain
the land for the future, while providing a future for some youth with
special challenges.
Our monastic family is a small, autonomous community.
We offer support for friends on all spiritual paths and none. Founded
in 1976, we are perhaps best known for our response to children impacted
by the AIDS pandemic in the United States, Romania, and now Africa,
where we provide a home and education for AIDS orphans.
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