ralo 2023 Reminder to Pre-Order - 10 days left!

March 10, 2023

ralo 2023 Pr-Orders - 10 days left!

Dear Friends,

The response has been wonderful and the feedback extremely positive about this year's fresh oils.

We have already shipped the first wave of orders.  If you have not yet received an email about your order don't worry you will.  The next wave will ship out soon.

Be sure to place your pre-order before March 21st, when our discounted prices return to their regular (higher) place.

In the meantime, we have added another travel anecdote or two (and a few more photos) that you may find interesting.

Be well.

Robert & Deborah

AN UNEXPECTED FLASHBACK

Walking around the small lanes and alleys of the old town of Kalamata, below the ruins of the castle, an aroma grabbed me by the nose and pulled me towards its origin.

It led to a tiny deli that sells traditionally-prepared smoked meat (smoked with wild sage, oregano, thyme and other secret herbs).  Every day they make a new batch.

In beautiful ceramic bowls sitting on a table, several varieties of olives glisten with the olive oil in which they rest.  One of the bowls has Kalamata olives.

The lady behind the counter looked like she belonged in a way that said "owner".  I pointed to the bowl of Kalamata olives and, out of curiousity, asked her if she had ever heard of Panagiotis Kalamaras (known to ralo friends as 'The Professor').

"Did I know him? 

His were the only olives my husband and I carried in the store.  For decades. 

When he got older and close to retirement we begged him to find someone to whom he could pass on the recipe. 

We even tried to find young buyers who he could teach so those olives lived on.  We found two brothers but after a few weeks it was clear they lacked the passion.  It didn't work.

In the end, the recipe disappeared with him.

We'll NEVER eat olives like those again!..."

She shook her head gently, from side to side, and sighed.

Since The Professor's last batch of olives in 2011 we have been able to find only one producer who makes "passably good" olives, but nothing as extraordinary as his.

The search continues...