How to buy Olive Oil

There are a lot of fakers out there. Here's how to find the best olive oil for your buck.  

  • Shop where you know there's inventory turnover
  • Buy for use within two months
  • Opt for oil in dark glass bottles or in tins
  • Choose "extra virgin olive oil", it's the purest, least processed and most flavorful type
  • Be wary of bargain-bin oils (less than $10 a liter)

More resources include the North American Olive Oil Association and TruthinOliveOil.com run by journalist Tom Mueller, author of the book Extra Virginity: The Sublime and Scandalous World of Olive Oil.

Plant a Bee Garden

Bees and water are both important ingredients to growing the fresh food our community enjoys.  Rasberrys takes these major contributors very seriously as many of our fresh, seasonal ingredients and dishes depend on them!  This spring we overhauled our gardens in a major way.  We brought in more veggies, bee friendly plants and flowers and overall reduced our water use.  It was a project, but we are looking forward to seeing increased production.  The next time you taste a fabulous ingredient as us - it may have been grown right here in the Wood River Valley.  

Here are a few ways to make your gardens bee friendly too:

  • Rethink your lawn, can you add a few flowering plants?
  • Select single flower tops like marigolds and daisys, the nectar is easier to access
  • Skip the hydbridized plants, they don't produce alot of pollen
  • Plan for blooms season round, providing a constant food source
  • Build homes for native bees, this may mean things like loose soil, hollow reeds, water or mud
  • Create a bee bath - fresh clean water source
  • Consider a window container or rooftop if you do not have land

There are many free resources available on this topic a few are The Honeybee Conservancy, High Country Gardens and Pollinator Partnership

10 Ways Rasberrys celebrates Earth Day everyday

We at Rasberry's believe we are all stewards of this beautiful earth on which we live.  Earth Day should be celebrated every day, not just once a year.  Here are just a few examples of how we practice what we preach.  We encourage you to consider making sustainable changes in your life whenever and wherever possible.  The Earth thanks you!

1. Recycled, re-usable to-go containers & utensils

2. Vinegar & Essential oils cleaning solution

3. Local sourced produce, dairy and meats

4. Backyard garden & fruit trees

5. Buy in bulk, limit packaged product purchases

6. Save compost for local chickens

7. Treasures from thrift, up-cycle when possible

8. Eat & serve fresh, in-season fruits and vegetables

9. Shop at the Farmer’s Market

10. Reusable bags for grocery shopping