Chestnuts! & A Shipping Update
It's Chestnut Season!
And thank goodness because there’s nothing quite like piping hot, freshly roasted chestnuts. *Cue Ina Garten voice* we prefer roasting them over an Italian brick fireplace or pizza oven, but regular ol' oven-baked will do! Chestnut season begins in early October in Calabria and marks the beginning of true fall. We often have to make our way up to Sila (the mountains) in order to find them. Later in the season, they start showing up on the backs of trucks and in local markets. It’s always a joy to catch our favorite fruit vendor with plump, juicy chestnuts because we know they’re going to be real good.
While in your local market keep an eye out for not only chestnuts but chestnut products (i.e. chestnut bread!!!). Pretty much any sweet with chestnut is guaranteed to be memorable.
On a personal note, chestnuts weren’t a big thing in my house growing up, and I used to be very jealous of the TV characters I’d see during the holidays experiencing that warm, perfectly roasted, flawless nut. It wasn’t until I moved to Italy that I truly tasted chestnuts and well, let's just say I fall for fall a little more each year. Contrary to my upbringing, Giuseppe grew up foraging for all kinds of food each year. He'd go to Sila with his parents, they'd pull over on the side of the road and collect as many wild chestnuts as they could carry. Later, they'd roast them over the fire or in the oven.
Tips For Roasting Chestnuts
Be sure to score the skin deep enough or they 100% will explode in the oven. Smells nice, awful to clean up.
To boil or not to boil? We do not boil the chestnuts before roasting. However, many commercial growers recommend boiling them first. Read the packaging or check in with your local vendor/market.
475F for 20 minutes in the oven should do the trick.
Chestnuts are easiest to peel when still warm (they also taste the best when warm!)
If you’re roasting chestnuts over an open fire eyeball it! It’s part of the fun and it’s okay if you get some burnt bits, they’ll be smoked. We usually roast using a perforated pan (AKA a pan with holes in the bottom) or a cast-iron skillet.
If blitzing to use for a dessert they'll be much easier to blend when still warm. Chestnuts harden up after they're cooked. Read dessert recipes well.
Lina + Turi Are Dwindling
There are less than 340 bottles of Lina and approximately 60 bottles of Turi left in stock. We've already taken end-of-year inventory and this is it! So if you haven't grabbed any oil yet to cook your way through Holiday season now's your chance : )
Holiday Shipping Update
We are currently only shipping via FedEx ground with the option to upgrade to Expedited 2 day for smaller orders. Ground shipping is currently taking approximately 5 business days to states located along the East and West coasts (especially NY, NJ, MA, CT, ME, CA, OR, WA). However, a delay of 2-3 days may occur. To stay on the safe side we recommend placing orders 2 weeks ahead of time.
Thanksgiving Order Cutoff
Wednesday, November 10, 2021
The recommended shipping date has passed. We're doing our best to get orders out the door and on their way to you before November 25. Orders placed before November 16 *should theoretically* arrive before Thanksgiving, however, we cannot guarantee they will arrive in time. Thank you for understanding!
Christmas Order Cutoff
Wednesday, December 8, 2021
Please don’t snooze! There’s plenty of time for orders to arrive in time for Christmas. This date will also be at the top of our site so you don't forget : )
Harvest 2021
Harvest 2021 is done! Woohooooo! We did it and are now on to bottling. This is so exciting and sort of scary as this is our biggest bottling run yet. The oils are tasting fantastic and we’re so excited to share them with you. Preorders are coming, they have NOT been released yet. Do we have something up our sleeve? Maybe, probably, I'm not telling.
You won't hear from us until the end of the month. If you’re celebrating, we wish you and yours a very Happy Thanksgiving!
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A presto,
-Skyler & Giuseppe
www.EXAUoliveoil.com