Category Archives: News

Have a Bountiful Farmers Market Experience

by . Posted on
12 May

Get the Best of Your Farmers Market Experience

Farmers Market season is in full swing here in Louisville, KY. Our favorite part of this season is teaching people about the versatility of our EVOO’s. When you use high-quality olive oil you need very few ingredients to make a delicious, healthy dish.

If you’ve been by our stand at the farmer’s markets here you’ve probably tried our Roasted Rosemary Almonds. We try and always have some on hand to try. These almonds are absolutely exquisite and a great way to see how just 4 ingredients can make a dynamite snack.

We frequent three markets here in the greater Kentuckiana area during the summer. You’ll find us at The New Albany Farmers Market, St. Matthews Farmers Market and the Douglass Loop Farmers Market. After several years at these markets, we’ve made friends with some of the other vendors. We’ve also figured out the best way to attend a market.

You may think there’s no particular skill to shopping a farmers market but after you’ve spent one Saturday and $200 on the most beautiful produce, fresh meat and cheese and locally baked bread and curated items (like our delicious EVOO) and get home to realize that there is NO POSSIBLE WAY you and your family can eat ALL THIS FOOD. You too will enjoy these few tips for making the most of your Farmers Market Experience.

3 Tips for Making the Most of Your Farmers Market Experience

Have a List and Be Flexible

First, it’s important to both be structured and flexible for your market trip.

Know what’s in season before you go to the market. We like to use this Kentucky Harvest Calendar from Pick Your Own. This way you can be prepared for what you’ll find at your favorite stands.

However, you need to have some flexibility too. You never know when a farmer may be trying a new growing process or experimenting with a new crop. Be open to one or two surprise items ending up in your bags.

Bring Your Bags

And speaking of bags, that brings us to tip number 2. Part of the ethos of going to a farmers market is that you are supporting local farmers and reducing your carbon imprint. When you buy food grown locally you are helping to reduce your carbon imprint.

If you bring reusable produce and grocery bags with you, you can also help cut down on trash. We all are aware of the huge plastic problem that we are battling. Each of us can do our part by bringing our own bags to the farmers markets. And really, every time we shop.

We like these reusable produce bags we found on Amazon and tend to use our local grocery reusable bags for grocery bags (here’s looking at you Kroger, Whole Foods, and The Fresh Market) for larger items.

Know Thy Vendors

Our final tip for making the most of your farmers market experience is to know the vendors! Many of the vendors, just like Primo Oils, come back week after week. Getting to know your local farmers is the best part of the market. We have several vendors that we count as friends and know we can rely on for high-quality, organic products.

It’s a very European way to shop. You get the tomatoes from one vendor and bread from another. While a third vendor may have the best carrots around.

You only get to know this through experience but just ask us! We love to give recommendations to our favorite local farmers. We’d also love to hear tips from you about which farmers you prefer. We definitely find that this is one of the best parts of being a part of the farmers market community.

Primo Olive Oils Farmers Markets

We’ll include some of our favorite vendors and farmers below. We’ve also listed the times and addresses of the markets we’re at all summer long.

New Albany Farmers Market

Time: 8 AM – 12:30 PM

Address: 202 E Market Street New Albany, IN 47150

Favorite Vendor: Whisman’s Backyard Honey

Run by Mike and Paula Whisman. They offer honey, lip balms, and the delicious pollen whipped honey which is their 5-star specialty. Flavors include Bourbon Pecan, Apple Pie and Blackberry. All sourced from Clark County.

St. Matthews Farmers Market

Time: 8 AM – 12 PM

Address: 4100 Shelbyville Rd. Louisville, KY 40207

Favorite Vendor: Gelato Gilberto

Run by Kristin and Justin Gilbert. They have gorgeous, artisanal, Italian ice cream (gelato) made with local milk, fresh fruit, and ingredients imported from Italy.

Douglass Loop Farmers Market

Time: 10 AM – 2 PM

Address: 2005 Douglass Blvd. Louisville, KY 40205

Favorite Vendor: Lexington Pasta

Run by Lesme Romero. Pasta made fresh daily in small batches (and great with our EVOO).

 

We hope to see you at the Farmers Markets this summer. To your health!

Traditional Easter Pairings

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Flavor Pairings for a Delicious Easter Meal

This month traditional Easter flavor pairings are top of mind. Spring brings with it fresh green grass, the start of farmers markets and of course Easter eggs and chocolate bunnies!

Here at Primo Oils we’ve put together several spring pairings of our favorite Olive Oils and Vinegars to help you put a unique twist on your Easter dinner. It’s hard to beat traditional Easter dishes like scalloped potatoes, balsamic glazed carrots, baked ham and spring peas. So we’re not going to even try to beat them. We’re going to join them by showing you ways to up your traditional dinner game with new flavor pairings.

Scalloped Potatoes

A standard dish for Easter and one that can be easily overlooked on your table. Let’s kick these potatoes up a notch by substituting Herbs de Provence olive oil for butter in your recipe. This gives an extra savory note to your potatoes.

If you’re looking for a good recipe we like Gimme Some Oven’s Scalloped Potatoes. This is a super traditional scalloped potatoes recipe. It’s great for Easter because you can prepare this dish ahead of time and heat it up in the oven when you’re ready.

Balsamic Glazed Carrots

We love using rainbow carrots that you pick up at the farmers market (or Whole Foods) to give your Easter dinner a colorful addition. Traditional balsamic carrots call for both olive oil and balsamic vinegar and we have just the pairing to jazz up this dish. We love using our Rosemary Olive Oil and Lavender Balsamic Vinegar. The sharp Rosemary flavor with the savory, herbal lavender will give your balsamic carrots a truly memorable twist.

Delish has a great glazed carrots recipe. In fact, they call this recipe the Best Balsamic Glazed Carrots recipe.

Baked Ham

Baked ham is such a deliciously easy main dish for Easter. We love this recipe from The Pioneer Woman. We swap out her use of a can of Dr. Pepper with our incredibly delicious Fig Balsamic Vinegar. Our fig balsamic gives a similar sweet tang as the soda but we think it’s a more distinguished twist to the recipe. And definitely follow her recommendation to glaze the ham several times while cooking. It really makes a difference.

Spring Peas

Spring Peas are light and fresh and the mint in this recipe from Epicurious gives a nice counter to some of the sweetness in the carrots and ham. Another standard Easter dish that makes this meal one of the easiest early prep meals ever. We suggest using our Eureka Lemon Oil for this Easter side.

So those are our recommendations for Spring pairings! These work wonderfully to share as hostess gifts, grown-up Easter Basket ideas or even to give out as wedding favors.

To your health!

Delicious Metabolic Reset Recipes with Primo Vinegars

by . Posted on
13 Mar

Delicious Metabolic Reset Recipes from Primo Vinegars

When Miranda Sommer of Whole Heart Health and Wellness approached Primo Oils about a Metabolic Reset Meet & Greet we were only too happy to offer Primo Oils as a venue. You may not think of Primo Oils as the perfect fit for a Metabolic Reset event but we’re here to tell you that we’ve got a lot more than just olive oils. Primo has just as many Balsamic Vinegar flavors as we do EVOO.

Balsamic Vinegar is a kitchen essential and one that, like olive oil, people overlook or think comes in just “plain”. Our balsamic vinegars come in a wide variety of flavors from the drinkable Aged Natural Fig Balsamic to a salad-ready Neapolitan Herb Balsamic Vinegar. And every flavor in between.

We hope you enjoy these recipes that we shared at the Meet & Greet event.

Primo Vinegar Metabolic Reset Recipes

Salads

Arugula Heirloom Salad

This is a great starter for grilled steak or chicken. We recommend using a good salt like a sea gris.

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Wash and spin dry arugula.
  • Cut heirloom tomatoes into large bite-size pieces.
  • Toss Arugula and tomatoes with Traditional 18 yo Balsamic Vinegar.
  • Salt and Petter to taste.

Pickled Beet Salad

Pickled beets are available in the produce aisle of most grocery stores.

Ingredients

  • Red Pickled Roast Beets, 1 Package
  • Golden Pickled Roast Beets, 1 package
  • 1 orange, separated and cut into bite-size pieces
  • Cinnamon Pear Balsamic
  • salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

  • Combine both packages of beets and orange slices.
  • Toss with Cinnamon Pear Balsamic
  • Salt and Petter to taste.

Fruit and Berry Salad

This is a delicious spin on the traditional fruit salad. A great option for Easter or a brunch.

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Remove pomegranate seeds. Try this super easy way. Cut up cantaloupe into bite-size pieces.
  • Combine cantaloupe, blueberries, pomegranate seeds, and raspberries.
  • Toss with Pomegranate and Cascadian Raspberry White Balsamic.

Main Dishes

Pulled Chicken-Apple Salad

This is a nice light dish to have on a hot night. You can pick up a rotisserie chicken at the store so there’s no need to heat up your kitchen!

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Prepare your fruit and veggies. Peel apples, and grate on a box grater. Separate cauliflower into small, bite-size florets. Vein and chop up kale and thinly slice the red cabbage.
  • Combine apples, veggies and chicken. Toss to combine.
  • Drizzle with Sicilian Lemon White Balsamic Vinegar and Gravenstein Apple Balsamic. Salt and pepper to taste.

Balsamic Flank Steak

A great steak recipe. We like that this is a pan-seared steak so you don’t have to wait for good BBQ weather.

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Mix Neapolitan Herb Balsamic Vinegar, minced garlic and Dijon mustard until combined. Pour marinade into a shallow dish that will hold the steak.
  • Prepare steak by first puncturing with a knife tip about once every square inch on both sides of the steak. Place in the marinade. Leave in the refrigerator overnight turning 2 or 3 times.
  • Flank steak is thicker at one end than the other. Cut the steak into two pieces. Your thinner piece will be done before the thick piece.
  • Heat a no-stick pan on high heat. Cook steak on high 4-5 minutes per side.
  • Monitor internal heat with an instant-read meat thermometer. Steak will be medium rare when it reaches 125 degrees. Flank and skirt steaks are more flavorful when served medium rare.
  • Cover and let rest 5-10 minutes. Slice against the grain and serve.

Looking for more delicious balsamic vinegar recipes? You can check out the recipe link on our website here.

To your health!

New Olive Oils at Primo Oils and Vinegars

by . Posted on
13 Feb

New Olive Oils in stock at Primo Oils and Vinegars

Our new olive oils are in stock. All four of the new varietals have a crush date of November 2018. Ensuring the freshest bottled olive oil for you.

Melgarejo Picual

Country of Origin: Spain

Intensity: Medium

Crush Date: November 2018

This visually stunning Picual is highly aromatic and floral. It displays prominent vegetal and savory tasting notes, with leafy greens. Very well balanced, a superb Picual.

Melgarejo Hojiblanco

Country of Origin: Spain

Intensity: Robust

Crush Date: November 2018

From one of the most decorated producers in the world. This fragrant Hojiblanca displays stunning notes of green apple, rose petal and cut herbs. With throat catching desireable pepper notes and marked astringency it’s beautifully herbaceous and complex. A truly unique extra virgin olive oil!

Nocellara

Country of Origin: Italy

Intensity: Medium

Crush Date: November 2018

A coveted variety native to Sicily, this Italian Nocellara showcases prominent savory and vegetal notes. Creamy with a complex center, artichoke notes, and a peppery finish.

 

Biancolilla

Country of Origin: Italy

Intensity: Mild

Crush Date: November 2018

This Biancolilla displays wonderful berry and confectionary notes. It is creamy, viscous and pleasantly malty with no bitterness and has a delicate, peppery finish. An EVOO crowd pleaser!

 

 

 

Primo Olive Oils and Vinegars continues to search for the freshest, most flavorful olive oils to add to our collection. And you can pick up to add to your kitchen.

 

To your health!

Give the Gift that Keeps on Giving

by . Posted on
27 Nov

Olive Oils: One of Nature’s Greatest Gifts

This holiday season give the gift that keeps on giving. Primo Olive Oils and Balsamic Vinegars are the perfect gift for foodie friends and family alike. It’s hard to shop for people because what do you get for the person who has everything? Several years ago one of our family friends made a holiday-gift-giving mandate; gifts must be depletable. Meaning it should be something that in a year it’s gone. This is a great gift-giving rule for adults because most people have everything they need and want. Holiday gifts should be something that they can use and enhance their quality of life.

Foodie Gifts from Primo

At Primo Oils and Vinegars we specialize in depletable gifts. Our high end, delicious Olive Oils and Balsamic Vinegars are, of course, the number one and number two products that we recommend. They are the perfect culinary treat for the foodie in your life. You can purchase large 350ml bottles of our high end or flavored oils if there’s one you know they will love. Our Tuscan Herb Olive Oil and Garlic Olive Oil are very popular options. We can also put together a sampling of 60 ml bottles into a gift pack. That way they can try a variety of flavors. Some flavor options we recommend are

Gift Pack Options

Taste of Italy Gift Pack:

Tuscan Herb Olive Oil, Garlic Olive Oil, Milanese Gremolata Olive Oil and Neapolitan Balsamic Vinegar

Citrus Punch Gift Pack:

Fused Blood Orange Olive Oil, Fused Eureka Lemon Olive Oil, Fused Persian Lime Olive Oil and Grapefruit White Balsamic

Foodie Favorites Gift Pack:

Neapolitan Herb Balsamic Vinegar, 18 Year Old Balsamic Condimento, Herbs de Provence Olive Oil, and White Truffle Oil

Premier Olive Oils Gift Pack:

Arbonasa Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Early Harvest Cobrancosa EVOO, Frantoio Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Mission EVOO

Dessert Balsamics Gift Pack:

Aged Dark Chocolate Balsamic, Aged Natural Fig Balsamic, Aged Tahitian Vanilla Balsamic, and Lavender Balsamic

Or we can put together a flavor pairing of your choosing. Maybe you know someone who loves to grill. We can put together an olive oil and balsamic vinegar gift pack to assist them in making mouth-watering marinades. Or perhaps the foodie in your life is more of a salad aficionado. Our flavored olive oil and balsamic pairings can take their salads to the next level of flavor. Whatever the palate preferences of your foodie friends we have the perfect thing.

If you are looking to expand your depletable gift options we have a wide range or high-end culinary treats.

Bequet Caramels

Enjoy the full flavor of some of the purest ingredients available. No preservatives, no corn syrup, and no artificial colors or flavors. Certified gluten-free, kosher, and packaged in a nut-free facility.  The best carmels…ever!

Lifetime Candles

These are depletable but also re-usable! Beautiful red berries and ferns are sealed inside the glass decorative container with a separate wick inserted into the top. Lifetime fiberglass wick never needs replacing. The Lifetime Candles use smokeless, odorless, paraffin candle oil, easily found at local stores. If your loved one is more into non-traditional looks we have other non-holiday styles available to fit their home décor. And at a price point of $32-$85 there’s one for everyone on your list.

Stop into Primo Oils and Vinegars to see the wide range of culinary treats available. We have everything from local honey and tea to spice blends and rubs. Be the hero of the gift giving season with our unique and delicious olive oil and balsamic vinegar products.

Happy Holidays! And, as always, to your health!

What to Do During Derby Week

by . Posted on
25 Apr

Derby time is upon us! The bucket-list event of the year is here and that means house-guests for nearly every single one of us. Sure, they are coming for the Derby but what else do you do with your guests while they are here? We’ve put together a short list of some of our favorite activities to help you entertain during one of the busiest seasons of our year.

  • The Bourbon Trail
    • Kentucky is known for two things, horses and bourbon. Since they are here for the Derby you might as well give them a taste of our most popular beverage. The Bourbon Trail has a souvenir passport that guests can use to chart where they’ve been. If you end up going to every distillery on the tour you can turn in your passport and receive a complimentary souvenir glass. Most distilleries require reservations so it’s a good idea to set these up in advance.
    • Sign up for your passport here: https://kybourbontrail.com/passport/
  • Big Four Bridge
    • A great way to show off our city and get a little exercise in the process. The Big Four Bridge is a 2-mile round trip journey. Originally completed in 1895 the bridge got a new lease on life when turned from a railway bridge into a bicycle and walking bridge. The Louisville side of the walking bridge opened in 2013.
  • Louisville Slugger Museum
    • This is a classic Louisville stop, especially if you have little ones in town. Take a tour of the factory, visit the museum and leave with your very own miniature baseball bat. Purchase tickets in advance to avoid the lines.
    • Sign up for tickets here: https://tickets.sluggermuseum.com/Info.aspx?EventID=13
  • The Avenue
    • Shop, eat and drink on “The Avenue”. Known as a “historic” part of town this street has a great selection of locally owned shops and you can show off how we “keep Louisville weird”.
  • Dee’s
    • Take your guests to Derby hat Headquarters and they will be overwhelmed by the sea of feathers, flowers and tulle that they’ll find. Dee’s employees can help you create a hat but don’t wait too long! For the more creative guest, a glue gun and some feathers can go far!
  • Joe Ley Antiques
    • If it’s raining (knock on wood, knock on wood) or even if it isn’t your guests will love Joe Ley’s. Four stories of antiques and general clutter that’s a peek into a whole other world!!!
  • Primo Oils & Vinegars
    • We hope you bring your guest by for an olive oil tasting and a chat. We have a four pack of olive oils in the perfect size to take home on the plane with you!

Farmers Markets

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primo

Primo will be participating in the following Farmers Markets:

Beginning March 12 (weather permitting):
Douglass Loop at the Douglass Blvd Christian Church – 10am – 2pm

 

Beginning May 14:
St. Matthews at Beargrass Christian Church – 8am – 12noon

 

New Albany at 202 East Market Street – 8am – 12:30pm

Primo Olive Oils & Vinegar tasting room now open

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Locally-Owned Store Carries Private Label Primo Olive Oils and Vinegars from Around the World

Featuring the freshest and most direct-to-market ultra premium extra virgin olive oils from around the world, Primo Oils and Vinegars is open at 3628 Brownsboro Road in the Chenoweth Plaza shopping center next to Gemelli Wine & Spirits and Breadworks. Primo will carry 20 pure and flavor-infused olive oils and 20 balsamic vinegars and will offer guests tasting opportunities directly from the “fustis” in which they are stored.

“There is such a difference between store-bought olive oil and fresh olive oil produced and shipped directly to us.  We wanted to share these great finds from the mills in Italy, Morocco, Portugal, Spain, Tunisia, Argentina, Australia and California, to name a few, with our hometown of Louisville,” says Beverly Bromley, who with her husband Bob Hundley, are proprietors of the new store. “And with Louisville being such a ‘foodie’ town, we knew that the concept would be embraced here.”

Currently there are more than 300 olive oil tasting rooms in the United States, many of them concentrated on the West Coast where domestic olive oil is heavily produced. Primo’s difference is that it will import the freshest olive oils and balsamic vinegars from the Northern and Southern hemispheres. After guests enjoy several tastings, they will be able to purchase their favorites in Primo labeled glass bottles. Prices range between $11-$30 for 200 ml and 375ml bottles.

Bromley, who has a background in retail management, and Hundley, who was involved in a local catering business, will also seek to educate Louisvillians about the health benefits and joys of preparing foods with olive oil. Primo hosts ongoing events with local guest chefs and wine experts that will be open to the public. Tasting events also can be scheduled for private parties of 4-12 during the day and after work from 5:00-6:30pm.

As part of the education process, Primo also offers the Primo Olive Oil Club, where members will receive quarterly shipments of hand-selected and limited quantity olive oils shipped directly to their homes. Members will also be invited to private tastings during harvest season and various other events.