Spanish Liquid Sunshine from Soler Romero

Most people don't realize that Spain, not Italy, is the largest producer of olive oil in the world. Organic olive oils are becoming increasingly available and one of the largest producers of organic olive oil in Spain is the family-run Soler Romero.

Situated in the Spanish province of Jaen in the southern region of Andalucia—the largest olive and olive oil producing area in Spain—Soler Romero uses only its own olives and does not buy from other farms or cooperatives so as to maintain the strictest control over the quality of their oil. They compost and recycle all the scraps and waste from their olive groves.

In business since 1850, Soler Romero was the first olive farm in Jaen to follow organic farming practices and was also the first to receive organic certification from the USDA in 2002. They also are certified organic by the European Union, Japan, and China as well as the local organic certification area for the region of Andalucia.

The estate's more than 1500 acres produce 700,000 pounds of olive oil every year from the picual olive variety, high in antioxidants, which makes the oil stable. Every stage of the process is performed on the estate, including processing the olives within two hours of harvest making for a very low-acidity oil— 0.10 percent (to be considered extra virgin an oil must be below 0.80 acidity). Soler Romero chooses an early harvest time, between mid-October and mid-November, which they feel results in the perfect oil made with ideally ripened olives.

Soler Romero olive oil is available in Spain, and also in the United States as well as other countries—including the UK, Canada, the Netherlands, Russia, Japan, China and Korea. If you live in Portland, Oregon (or are visiting) you can find Soler Romero oil served at Higgins Restaurant. Badger organic health balms and creams uses Soler Romero organic oil in their organic body-care products.

For more information about Spain's organic olive oils see the Green Earth Guide, Olive Oil: An Olive Oil Lover's Guide to the Organic Oils of Spain, with listings of forty organic oils and tips on having olive oil tastings. Use the Guide to help you tour through olive groves and estates, sampling Spain's liquid sunshine as you travel through Spain.

Portland Awesome Food, Health & More

Portland is over the top in terms of fresh, local sustainably grown food. Some highlights are listed here, but you almost can't go wrong in Portland, so eat up and enjoy... and try not to miss the farmers market!

You can eat breakfast and lunch at the renowned Bijou Café serving up organic and local foods– get there before 2 or else you will miss out. Bijou Café, 132 SW Third Ave, Portland; Tel: 503-222-3187; Open 7:00am – 2:00pm daily.
Two other restaurants especially known for good fresh, local meals include Higgins, 1239 SW Broadway, 503-222-9070, and Paley’s Place, 1204 NW 21st, 503-243-2403.

If you have a soft spot for food resembling fast food or diner-style, Portland has Burgerville, a “fast-food” chain using local, sustainable products in their natural beef burgers, ice cream milkshakes and smoothies. Flavors vary seasonally based on available ingredients. When I was there in November, pumpkin was the flavor du jour. The pumpkins are grown by Stahlbush Farms committed to sustainable farming. Burgerville uses recycled paper napkins, supports wind power, converts their used cooking oil to biodiesel fuel, offers free wifi, and has real juke boxes. For locations and more information see www.burgerville.com

Local health foods stores include New Seasons Markets which are locally owned and operated with nine stores in the Portland area, and Food Front Cooperative with two stores in Portland. Not surprisingly, you can also find Whole Foods and plenty of small specialty food stores. New Seasons Markets - www.newseasonsmarket.com; Open 8am-10pm; Food Front Cooperative – www.FoodFront.coop; open daily from 8:00am to 9:00pm.

Portland’s Farmers Markets rival any I have seen in Europe with an abundance of fresh, local and mostly organic foods from meats, cheeses, fruits and vegetables to coffees and oils. Open seasonally at different locations on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. See the website for more information www.PortlandFarmersMarket.org.

A very special store is in the northern part of the city in the neighborhood known as Mississippi. The Meadow sells salt, chocolate, wine and flowers from all over the world. It is a must stop for any salt connoisseur. The Meadow, 3731 N. Mississippi Avenue, Portland 97227; Tel: 888-388-4633; www.atthemeadow.com. Check out the Askinosie chocolate made with goat milk – it is incredible! (www.askinosie.com)

While Seattle may have Starbucks, Portland has Stumptown – the way hip, fair-trade, groovy coffee extraordinaire. Stumptown has cafes all over Portland, plus you can buy coffee by the pound in every health food and specialty store. Check it out - www.stumptowncoffee.com.

Gluten-Free eaters – don’t miss the breads and treats from New Cascadia Traditional: The Gluten-Free Artisans, a dedicated gluten-free bakery making out-of-this-world, hard-to-find, gluten-free sourdough and baguette breads. I was so mad I only bought one loaf at the farmers market. You can now buy all their products at the farmers market and their new retail store. New Cascadia Traditional, NW Glisan St. (between NW 21st & 22nd Ave, next to Trader Joes), Portland, OR 97208, Tel: 503-887-4392; NewCascadia@hotmail.com; www.newcascadiatraditional.com. Open Tuesday to Friday from 11:00am to 6:00 pm and Saturday from 11:00am to 5:30pm

Another over the top treat is the smoked salmon and salmon “jerky” from The Smokery. Made by an Irish couple who moved to Oregon and employ their Irish traditions in the smoking of Pacific Northwest Salmon. Available at the farmer’s market and online at www.thesmokery.com.

Portland is home to one of the few accredited Naturopathic Medical Colleges in the United States, the National College of Natural Medicine (www.ncnm.edu) so alternative health services are prevalent in the city. For Chinese Medicine, Acupuncture, Massage and Naturopathic care including nutritional infusions there is the Mississippi Health Center, 4631 N. Albina, Portland, OR 97217; Tel: 503-282-5358; www.mississippihealthcenter.com; Open Monday- Saturday by appointment and also walk-in herbal consults.
The Pearl Health Center in, you guessed it, the Pearl District, offers allopathic and alternative care. They offer a prepaid health plan as well as pay as you go. The Pearl Health Center, 721 NW 9th Ave., Suite 100A, Portland; Tel: 503-525-0090; www.pearlhealthcenter.com.

Other great resources:
• Pittmon Map Company, 825 SE Hawthorne Blvd, Portland; 503-233-2207
• Redirect Guide for Portland and Vancouver areas, a one-inch thick business directory of all things green, www.redirectguide.com available free at many stores.
• The entire Oregon coast is free and open to everybody- www.visittheoregoncoast.com
• Edible Portland quarterly free magazine with articles and ads from many of the wonderful natural, local foods restaurants and businesses – www.edibleportland.com
• The Portland Red Guide, written by retired political science professor, Michael Munk, offers a guide through the radical history of Portland

Portland, Oregon Gets the Green Thumbs Up

The overnight train from California to Portland is comfortable and easy. It leaves California in the evening so you get a whole day of visiting and touring in. You must have reservations. I boarded in San Jose after visiting the Santa Cruz, Carmel, and Monterey areas. I did not have a sleeper but rather a reclining seat (actually two seats since the train was not full). The Amtrak train is called the Coast Starlight and the cost is $79 from San Jose to Portland, Oregon - about a nineteen-hour ride. Not only is the carbon footprint much smaller by train than by air travel, but the scenery is not to believed! Once you wake up in the daylight in northern California you see Mt Shasta, and then onto the farm and wild lands of Oregon including Klamath Lake.

Portland is a fun and easy city - really not large at all by city standards and very accessible. Bikers predominate, while the public bus system – Tri-Met –seems too go everywhere and offers user-friendly web sites and maps for navigating the city ($2.30/ride).

There is no sales tax in Oregon, which is quite noticeable if you have just come from California or points east. The city is designed in a grid with the river as its center – so there is Northwest, Southwest, Northeast and Southeast. The east to west dividing line is the river; the north south line is Burnside Ave., making it very easy to navigate.

Portland is a green traveler’s delight. Bike paths are everywhere, as is public transport, and there are loads of wonderful local foods and stores. Book lovers shouldn’t miss Powell’s Books. The main store takes up a full city block and you will need the free store maps that are provided at the counters to guide you. Powell’s sells new and used books intermixed and it is all somewhat overwhelming, but fabulous – booklovers will feel like kids in a candy store. There are smaller Powell’s outlets around the city including one at the airport. Powell’s City of Books, 1005 W. Burnside Street (in the Pearl District), Downtown Portland; Tel: 503-228-4651; www.powells.com. Open 9am to 1pm everyday.

You can walk through the Japanese Gardens that sit on a hill on the western edge of the city. You can also visit the Chinese Garden which encompasses a city block in the middle of Chinatown, creating a magical quality as you leave the city behind when you walk through the gates. You can enjoy the delicious and varied tea options at the Tao of Tea café in the gardens or go to their other restaurant on Belmont Street – a fabulous teahouse and eatery with what seems like hundreds of tea varieties. They serve delicious, vegetarian Indian food, with a store next door where you can purchase the organic teas (www.tulsiorganics.com). The Tao of Tea, 3430 SE Belmont Street, Portland; 503-736-0119; www.taooftea.com
Portland Japanese Garden, www.japanesegarden.com
Portland Classical Chinese Garden, NW Third & Everett, Portland; Tel: 503-228-8131; www.portlandchinesegarden.org

If you are in the mood for Yoga, studios abound. In the Pearl District you can go to Yoga Pearl. Open seven days a week with full daily schedules offering different types of Yoga and Pilates starting as early as 6am and ending as late as 8:30pm. There is also a Holistic Wellness Center where you can make appointments for massage therapy, Traditional Chinese Medicine, Naturopathic medicine and Cranialsacral therapy. Here you can also find the Blossoming Lotus raw foods café to refuel after yoga or walking the city. Yoga Pearl, 925 NW Davis, Portland; Tel: 503-525-9642; www.yogapearl.com

For foot massages you can treat yourself to the innovative services at the Barefoot Sage where you can indulge yourself by sitting in large puffy couches while you soak your feet and drink tea and try one of the various foot and leg massages offered. The Barefoot Sage, 1844 SE Hawthorne, Portland; 503239-7116; www.thebarefootsage.com