Gold Mine: January 1, 2023

SPOTLIGHT Business

Il Fiorello Olive Oil Company draws name from small flower

Named after the small white flowers of the olive trees, Il Fiorello Olive Oil Company is a family owned company that produces artisan olive oil from Suisun Valley and Green Valley orchards.

Owners Ann and Mark Sievers produce oil from their own certified organic groves. They are located in Green Valley and Suisun Valley between Fairfield and Napa Valley, a still-rural area where creekside soils allow good drainage for the trees.

Ann Sievers is a third-generation descendant of “The Chief,” Dominic Fiorello, who immigrated to America in the 1860s. The Chief’s family traces its roots from Sicily and Sant’Angelo d’Alife, a village north of Naples. Her ancestor had a profound respect for traditional agriculture and put his knowledge of Italian methods into raising vegetables and fruit for the family, making wine for their table and carefully saving seeds from year to year became part of his dreams for the future.

The husband-and-wife duo of Mark and Ann Sievers have worked hard to expand on that idea, creating a business that uses sustainable and renewable practices to maintain a healthy and productive land.

“Il Fiorello will continue with our organic farming certification,” Ann Sievers said.

The state-of-the-art mill was purchased in 2012 from a company in Italy. Il Fiorello gradually upgraded

from older mill equipment until the company grew so much it needed a bigger mill for processing. The machine, using a modern continuoussystem olive mill, can process 1,700 pounds of olives per hour.

The mill processes the olives through a mixing and centrifuge process that separates the pits and skins from the oil. The pits are crushed and can be used in a variety of ways.

The Sieverses expanded their property a few years ago and included solar power for all their electrical needs.

Il Fiorello offers community milling days two times a year. That’s when residents far and wide can bring their own olives from their farm or home properties to be milled into a communal olive oil.

Il Fiorello was recognized in the 2022 California State Fair Best of California Extra Virgin Olive Oil Competition.

“Because of Covid we can’t have cooking classes inside anymore. So we are doing fewer classes but outside,” Ann Sievers said.

She said she is thinking about doing a class next year on harvesting olives and using them in cooking, and a class how to prune olive trees.

“I am thinking of doing about 10 classes,” she said. “It might expand or contract in the coming months.”

Ann Sievers said they plan to include guest speakers and it will be a lot of fun.

Il Fiorello has taken home several awards over the years, including Best Olive Oil in California twice.

“That was an incredible honor,” Ann Sievers said.

The olives from a community milling day are milled as one batch. The percentage of olives contributed to the overall total represents the amount of olive oil each contributor gets to take home. The pulp and pits are reused for mulch at Il Fiorello, or sold to farmers to use as feed for animals.

Il Fiorello used to offer a regular slate of food classes on how to prepare, serve and create meals or even specific items like jams.

Address: 2625 Mankas Corner Road, Suisun Valley

Phone: 707-864-1529

Il Fiorello brought home four gold medals, four silver medals and a bronze medal from the California State Fair Olive Oil Competition in 2020.

The Sieverses were most excited to have received the gold medal for their 2019 Community Blend Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

Visitors can stop by Il Fiorello for some olive oil tasting at any time. The facility has a patio where guests can relax and enjoy the beautiful valley.

Website: www.ilfiorello.com

Hours: Open 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily

SPCA of Solano County pitches programs to residents

Pet lovers should consider adopting from the SPCA of Solano County if they want a new companion, whether it be a dog, cat or even a bunny rabbit.

The Solano SPCA is a nonprofit animal shelter that works to unite pets with people. They also offer various programs to Solano County residents.

The Reading Buddies Program helps both animals and humans.

The program takes place from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. the first and third Thursdays of the month at the shelter. This is a good way for children ages 6 to 17 to help de-stress the animals. The children also benefit by practicing reading to a nonjudgmental listener, which helps increase confidence. It also helps teach them that reading can be fun and relaxing.

The Rescue Writers Program offers youth – either individually or in a group – a chance to write essays from the perspective of the shelter pet. Program participants can write about things like sharing its traits, personality and what kind of forever home it wants. Participants also produce a color drawing of the pet.

All writings are displayed at the shelter and given to the forever family that adopts the animal.

Sessions are facilitated by a retired elementary school teacher on one selected Wednesday per month, or by reservation (for Scouts, home school groups, etc.).

The organization also offers a Pet Loss Support Group, which currently meets online at 7 p.m. the first Tuesday of every month.

This free service helps pet owners deal with the loss of a pet companion.

Michele Lee, right, holds Hoda

neutering session

The Zoom group is facilitated by a mental health professional. Participants are encouraged to bring a picture of their beloved pet to the sessions.

In addition to these services, the SPCA also offers low-cost monthly vaccine clinics for cats and dogs. All dogs must be on a leash. Unvaccinated puppies must be carried or in a carrier. Aggressive dogs will not get vaccinated. Cats must be in a carrier or the SPCA will charge an additional fee. Vaccinations are not available for feral cats.

The SPCA no longer offers a spay and neuter clinic.

Yvonne Turner, shelter manager, says the current kitten and puppy season seems to be without end.

“So kitten and puppy food are high on our list (of needs),” Turner said. “Adult dog food, cat food, dog and cat beds, blankets, towels and varied cleaning supplies – especially bleach and paper towels. Of course, cash dona-

tions are always greatly appreciated.”

The SPCA of Solano County relies on donations to keep the doors open. This can include monetary and vehicle donations. People can donate cars for charities and the money from the sale of the vehicles goes to help the SPCA.

Another way the organization raises money is through its annual barbecue, but because of Covid that has not been possible over the past couple of years. The SPCA plans to have a Paws for a Cause Dog Walk-aThon at 8 a.m. April 1, in Peña Adobe Park in Vacaville.

The goal is to raise $50,000. The organization is well on its way with people already signing up for the walk. To join the walk, go to https://myevent. com/solanospcapawsforacause.

SPCA of Solano County is located at 2200 Peabody Road, in Vacaville. Hours are 2 to 5 p.m. Wednesday; noon to 5 p.m. Thursday through Sunday. For more information, call 707-4487722 or visit https://solanospca.com.

PUZZLES

Sudoku

FUN BY THE NUMBERS

Like puzzles? Then you’ll love Sudoku. This mind-bending puzzle will have you hooked from the moment you square off, so sharpen your pencil and put your Sudoku savvy to the test!

HERE’S HOW IT WORKS:

Sudoku puzzles are formatted as a 9x9 grid, broken down into nine 3x3 boxes. To solve a sudoku, the numbers 1 through 9 must fill each row, column and box. Each number can appear only once in each row, column and box. You can figure out the order in which the numbers will appear by using the numeric clues already provided in the boxes. The more numbers you name, the easier it gets to solve the puzzle!

1

A lentil and pasta soup that serves as a respite after hectic season

After Thanksgiving with its overflowing table, the cookie shipments I packed for friends and the endless punch bowls of New Year’s Eve celebrations, those were the days of food and drink abundance.

So after all those indulgences, I always crave some respite, and I figured you might, too.

This Lebanese lentil and pasta soup comes from “Nistisima,” Georgina Hayden’s beautiful collection of vegan Mediterranean recipes.

The title is the Greek word for Lenten, or fasting foods, dishes eaten by those that adhere to the Orthodox church’s fasting rules. As Hayden writes, when she was growing up in Cyprus, “I never questioned why we have countless cake recipes that are oil-based and contain no eggs, or that we drank almond ‘milk,’ long before it became trendy in cafe culture, but now I understand that this came about from necessity.”

Lent on the Christian calendar is months away, and it’s traditionally about sacrifice. While I appreciate, as Hayden does, the ritual of reflection

and of resetting ones dietary habits, whether it’s religious or not, I don’t need to wait to enjoy the kind of cooking that leaves me feeling refreshed and nourished rather than, well, overserved.

The most obviously appealing things about this soup are its flavor and texture: the former from a classic Mediterranean blend of cumin, cilantro, garlic and lemon (what Hayden calls “the holy quarter of flavours in my world”) and the latter a silkiness from the pasta’s starch. That

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I am a singer born in Nashville on Jan. 8, 2000. I began my career on the show “Doc” when I was only 3. I also starred with my older sister on a popular Disney TV show. I released a solo album in 2016 and was nominated for a Grammy in 2021.

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makes eating it feel anything but restrictive.

The recipe has another benefit: Just when you might be at your busiest, it provides a speedy way to get a dinner or lunch on the table – and then into the fridge as leftovers that you’ll welcome being able to dip into on a particularly harried day.

LENTIL AND PASTA SOUP (RISHTA)

4 servings

Storage Notes: Refrigerate leftovers for up to 5 days or freeze for up to 3 months.

8 cups Scrappy Vegetable Broth or store-bought low-sodium vegetable broth

1 heaping cup (7 ounces) brown/green lentils, rinsed and picked over ¼ cup olive oil

2 medium-large onions (9 ounces each), thinly sliced

4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

1 teaspoon ground coriander

2 cups lightly packed fresh cilantro leaves and stems (1 large bunch), finely chopped and divided

4 ounces dried tagliatelle or fettuccine, broken into bite-size pieces

1 teaspoon fine salt, plus more to taste

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, plus more to taste

In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, combine the broth and the lentils and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat until the liquid is at a simmer, and cook until the lentils are very tender, about 35 minutes.

While the lentils are cooking, in a large skillet over medium heat, heat the oil until it shimmers. Add the onions and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until they are soft and just beginning to take on color, 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in the cumin seeds and ground coriander and stir-fry until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in half the chopped cilantro and cook, stirring, until completely wilted, about 1 minute. Remove from the heat.

When the lentils are tender, add in the onion mixture. Add the tagliatelle pieces, salt and pepper, and stir to combine. Increase the heat to return to a boil, then reduce the heat so the liquid is simmering, and cook until the tagliatelle is just tender, about 10 minutes. Stir in the lemon juice and the remaining chopped cilantro. Taste, and season with more salt, pepper and/or lemon juice as needed.

Serve hot.

Per serving (1 ½ cups) | Calories: 456; Total Fat: 15 g; Saturated Fat: 2 g; Cholesterol: 0 mg; Sodium: 824 mg; Carbohydrates: 63 g; Dietary Fiber: 18 g; Sugar: 9 g; Protein: 18 g

This analysis is an estimate based on available ingredients and this preparation. It should not substitute for a dietitian’s or nutritionist’s advice.

Adapted from “Nistisima” by Georgina Hayden (Bloomsbury, 2022).