You love your Stonehouse infused olive oils, but you’re wondering about the sediment on the bottom? What is it? Is it safe?

Have No Fear! The Freshness is Here!

There may be some hesitation regarding the bits of materials that has sunk to the bottom of your precious Stonehouse Olive Oil. Or the bottle is more cloudy than the last one you purchased.

Stonehouse Olive Oil is a local company in Berkeley, CA, that  bottles up their liquid gold in small batches. As one can expect, there will be inconsistencies in color and clarity.

Some of the Stonehouse Olive Oils are unfiltered. After harvesting and pressing the olives, the oil is allowed to sit for a bit. For the wine and oil connoisseurs, you may be familiar with this process technically called "racking". Racking allows for the sediment to settle to the bottom and the clear oil is then siphoned off. In the case of unfiltered olive oil, the oil is not settled for as long, bottled sooner after harvest, and thus bringing you a fresher product!

You have two simple options if you find your lovely oil is freshly unfiltered. The sediment can be alleviated with a few good shakes of the bottle before using. It is not harmful in anyway and often olive oil aficionados will opt for the unfiltered type. Health-nuts praise the unfiltered olive oil for being full of anti-oxidants and free radicals.  These are beneficial for protection to your body against certain diseases.

If you can part with the last bit, the second option is to simple use the entire bottle and then discard what is left at the bottom. Not as green friendly in the kitchen, but then you can bring back your empty House Blend and Blood Orange Bottles for refilling at the Cooks Boulevard. Not buying another glass bottle and saving a few dollars certainly is green friendly.

And here's extra storage tip. Many people keep oil in cold environments to prevent oxidation or breakdown of the healthy fats. The good news is that the cold will not affect your olive oil. Prolonged exposure to cold will affect the taste however. Stored bottles of the Stonehouse Olive oil  will  eventually lose its flavor if kept in the refrigerator for weeks or months. An ideal location for your oil is to keep it room temperature and away from heat and light. You may find that unfiltered olive oil will have more of a tendency to coagulate or freeze than clear olive oil.

Cheers,

Sara