Next time you need some olive oil, head on over to your nearest Ten Thousand Villages and buy a bottle (or a dozen bottles) of Zatoun olive oil and help renew the olive groves through Trees for Life that were destroyed in Palestine during the war. Trees for Life is an earth-saving and renewal project of Zatoun, a registered NPO and fair-trade organization that sells olive oil products from the West Bank.
The more olive oil we buy, the more olive trees they can plant because Ten Thousand Villages is matching the $2 proceed per bottle in support of Trees for Life. They have planted 25,000 trees thus far… sounds like a big number, but there’s still a long way to go before the Palestinian farmers can have healthy, thriving olive groves again.
Every little bit helps – here are 12 other things that you can do with (12) olive oil (bottles):
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give as a gift to your family and friends and let them know how they too have helped the Trees for Life cause
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pour some in a smaller glass container, keep in your bathroom and use liberally as a moisturizer or make-up remover
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if you or your bedmate snores, take a sip of olive oil – it’s supposed to stop your snoring
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pour in your bath and use as a bath oil
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use to clean your child’s ears by putting a drop or two in their ears before bedtime – loosens earwax
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mix with equal parts lemon juice and polish your wood
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give yourself or your loved one a hand massage: rub olive oil on palms, then rub some sugar on…rinse or lick off
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use as shaving cream
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mix 3 TB olive oil + 4 TB salt and use as an acne wash. Leave it on your face for a couple of minutes and rinse off. Repeat daily, then taper off to 2-3x a week. The salt is supposed to exfoliate your skin while the oil restores your moisture.
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use as a baby or child moisturizer – my daughter has eczema and we rub olive oil on her extremities before towelling off after a shower or bath
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get muscle ache relief by mixing 1 TB horseradish in 1/2 c olive oil, let sit for 30 minutes and apply on yourself…or get someone else to give you a massage
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use in place of butter in mashed potatoes, baking, even on bread with jam!
Remember that olive oil should be stored in a cool, dark place, away from heat and light. Heat and light can affect the oil’s nutritional value.
References:
January 30, 2008 at 6:26 pm
This is great tasting olive oil and I recommend it not only for the trees that will be planted but because it is high quality, extra virgin, fairly traded, olive oil. The tenthousandvillages.ca website gives more information about the product and locations of all the stores.