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<pre>Hi Cyndi,

> Yep - most of it is solvent-extracted. But mine isn't!
>
> Yes, you're the source I was talking about! I'm glad you're on this list.
> I was hoping someone would post your website since I didn't have it
> memorized.

Thanks - I'll try to help you remember it .. ;-) Appalachian Valley -
Anatolian Treasures (AV-AT) (as in Western Maryland and Turkey).

> Check it out at http://www.AV-AT.com I live in Turkey but ship my
> products to my American company in Friendsville, MD - we distribute
> wholesale and retail from there.
>
> Btw, I really enjoyed your travel post on a soap list about a recent trip
> to...oh now I've forgotten. Someplace a bit east and perhaps south of you.

Hard to say which one but thanks - glad you enjoyed it. I've had guests
lately from England and from Italy and I took them around to the Rose
Fields, along the Med Coast, to the Cappadochia region and other places.

> I can't get cold-pressed virgin at a good price. Extra virgin is actually
> cheaper. I think in the US (and I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm
> wrong!) oils not up to EV standards get used/refined for the pure oils.

Yea ... and a lot of the refined oils that have no taste or smell have a
dab or two of unrefined EVOO to regain that lost taste/smell.

> Mind you, I'm talking about large commercial brands *sold* in the US, I
> know they're mostly not produced here.
>
> Most Americans don't know the difference between a true EVOO and the
> other off-the-wall handles the slick marketeers have placed on products.
>
> Very true. I think a good percentage of people (Americans anyway) think
> "lite" OO is lower in calories than other kinds. And most here think the
> "lite" aka "pure" is best for cooking because EV tastes too strong (they
> say this without ever tasting EV or trying it out).

Yep - it's a bit like trying to get someone to appreciate fresh-churned
butter when they've been raised on Blue Bonnet Margarine .... :-(

> An EVOO should last at least two years - shouldn't become rancid if half
> way decently stored.
>
> Are you sitting down? Would you believe that most olive oil is rancid *at
> the point of sale*? Even some of the better stores in the US don't know
> how to store OO. And most Americans go out of their way to purchase it in
> clear bottles so they can see it. So that's mostly what's sold and of
> course it's stored in the light.

So it's not properly stored but I keep it in a big plastic jug for more
than two years sometimes. Friends give me 20-30 kilos and sometimes two
or three friends do that - I give a lot away but still have to keep some
around for when that friend visits .. ;-)

> I have tasted a lot of olive oil sold here and most of it is rancid. This
> includes many from gourmet shops and bulk olive oil from health food
> stores. The only readily available commercial brand I have found to be
> consistantly not rancid is Star (I get 3 liter bottles of cold-pressed EVOO
> from Costco, a warehouse store). Believe me, I have no particular desire
> to support the huge brands. I use Sciabica and Sons (which is always
> perfect) or bulk oil from a local gourmet shop for salads (I taste it
> first but it's always okay at this store).
>
> Cyndi

Hey Cyndi - try 8 ounces of mine or even the little black 250 ml bottle.
Costs about the same as a mixed drink at the corner pub. If you want a
good sample of the Pomace, just holler and we'll send it from Maryland -
on the house.

Y'all keep smiling, Butch http://www.AV-AT.com
</pre>
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