The Second Annual Rancho Vignola Giveaway

November 30, 2013

It’s that time of year again: Nutty Season. Yes, nutty as in, I must be crazy to have an entire pallet of  dried fruits and nuts delivered to my house; but also nutty, as in DELICIOUS NEW CROP NUTS are in season!

Those of you who have been reading my blog for a while know that I am a huge fan of Rancho Vignola for the quality and freshness of their products. You also may remember my giveaway last year, when I waxed poetic about the difference in freshness and flavour from a new crop Rancho Vignola nut and a regular (possibly rancid) supermarket nut. I mean, seriously, the difference is out of this world! I LOVE my delicious new crop nuts.

So here we are again. Rancho has generously offered a second basket for me to raffle off to one of my blog readers! Valued at $150, the Rancho basket will include a nice variety of dried fruits and new crop nuts for the lucky winner. The basket will arrive in time for Christmas!

To qualify for delivery, you must have a Canadian shipping address. Enter the draw in one of three ways:
(1) comment on this post
(2) post to my facebook fanpage
(3) tweet with the hashtag #chefheidisnuts to @chefheidifink

This year’s giveaway will end by midnight, Saturday, December 7th, and a winner will be announced Sunday, December 8th. That’s one week, folks!

And for all non-winners – this giveaway is running simultaneously with Rancho’s December online Harvest Event. No minimum order required! That way, you can always order some to try.)

Comments (135)

  1. What a lovely Christmas present! As one who’s from a chilly part of the country, aka SK, aka The Land That Heat Forgot, these would make a lovely mid-winter treat x

  2. I would love to taste the difference between a super market nut and a Rancho Vignola nut. Pick me! Pick me!! Great article in Eat Mag by the way!!

  3. One of my fondest memories growing in Newfoundland at Christmas was of the incredible nut bowl on my Nanny’s coffee table and the string of exotic (for me they were) figs in my stocking. Would love to have some new memories with these incredible local products.

  4. I love your fruit cake recipes so much. I can’t image how extra wonderful they would be with superior ingredients like these!

  5. mmm, your writing always makes me hungry…thanks for that! I always think that Spring’s my favourite season no wait then there’s Summer and mmm the figsHoneyPumpkinApples of early Winter, but really it’s all about the fruit & nuts with their wonderful rush of intense flavours. This is my favourite food season for sure! Thanks for the pix and reminder to get going and order some of those delights.
    Cheers!

  6. I love Rancho as well! Such fabulous products and if I won this I would pass it along to our wonderful daycare provider as a holiday gift :) Thanks for the tip on the Online Harvest Event too – might have to grab a few additional items!

  7. Oh…the lovely Rancho Vignola products…they are the best…my favourite is the organic sugared ginger chunks!

  8. Mmmmmm! I hope to see a Harvest Event in Victoria soon, but in the meantime I’m happy just to receive the deliciousness in the mail!

  9. This looks gorgeous gift I’ve ever wanted!! Since I have two kids, I always come last sadly… I should treat my self with something yummy more often!! :D

  10. Thanks again for both keeping us apprised of all the wonderful food available locally AND showing us what to do with it! Not that figuring out what to do with a gift like this would be difficult . . .

  11. There’s no comparing fresh nuts to supermarket bulk ones, it’s amazing. Like the difference between fresh coconut vs. bulk. Stoked to make your fruitcake recipe for my mama this year!

  12. Yeah! Rancho Vignola!! Have been a customer for several years. There is no comparison in quality and freshness. And customer service is exceptional.

  13. Last year I was disappointed that they only offered large ordering – look forward to trying them this year! Hope I win, tho! :—)

  14. Lovely opportunity to try this beautiful product. Thank you as always for your wisdom, Heidi! I’ve been told that many people who think they are allergic to nuts are actually allergic to the rancidity in stale ones. We in Canada, unfortunately eat stale ones far too often. I’ll order from Rancho Vignolo whether I’m the lucky winner or not! Blessings.

  15. Me too…me too. I want to enter too. I’m nuts for nuts and would love to try the taste test. What a lovely Christmas give-away.

  16. Did you know that in Victorian times, a “dessert” was made of things like fruit and nuts and candy, artfully arranged, and served last? this is why the British have a course called “pudding” during which they serve sweet things that we would call dessert, because dessert was actually a different thing. So I would love some dessert, please Heidi. Pick me, Pick me!

  17. Hi Heidi
    Love your blog. I LOVE nuts and dried fruit, my favourite food. I’ve tasted fresh nuts before – nothing like them. As the Number 3 person said so eloquently, Pick me! Pick me! Thanks for all your wonderful recipes.

  18. Love all R.V. products. Every year I have to restrain myself when I’m ordering! Ditto nice article in EAT magazine. I still remember your holiday baking class. So many good treats in so little time!

  19. It’s probably been 20 years since I’ve had fresh nuts. (Local farmer with a walnut tree but doesn’t sell them every year.) Would love to try these products. :)

  20. Nuts and dried fruits are delicious nutrient-dense snacks. I’d love to have some on hand during the holidays to help encourage healthy snacking at my house.

  21. Yummy! I love nuts ! it would be great to have this basket to share with friends and family.
    warm christmas wishes to you Heidi. xx

  22. Love your blogs – great ideas for our organic garden produce, and love the nuts that RV brings back from far away places and fruits from our own province. Would love to win some.
    Thanks for the opportunity.

  23. I love your blog Heidi and I follow you on Twitter. I lived vicariously through your foodie conference in Seattle posts … thank you! I learned about Rancho Vignola through your blog and will order from them tomorrow. Keep up the great work!

  24. The fruit and nut basket- looks wonderful. I really like your blog and I have used many of your recipes from the blog and from your cooking classes. I especially want to thank you for the quince paste recipe and instructions.

  25. This is too good to be true! I check in on your blog and you have a quince (I’m a bit obsessed) recipe AND this fabulous Rancho Vignolo give away! How lucky could I get? Could I be lucky enough to win this basket of deliciousness? I’m hopin’….

  26. I have never had anything other than supermarket nuts–would love to experience the Rancho Vignola magic! Thanks for this opportunity, Heidi. Merry Christmas!

  27. Heidi, I love all the great ideas and information in your blog – thank you! I hope to attend one of your classes in the new year.
    Please put my name in the raffle – thanks!

  28. Love, love Rancho Vignola! I hope to win so I can share this with all my friends!!! Thank you Heidi (ps great name)

  29. Delicious and environmentally friendly too – what’s not to love? Thanks for highlighting these great products again this year, Heidi.

  30. Hi Heidi,

    I also love, love, love Rancho Vignola! Their raw organic cashews are so fresh, but I admit I am addicted to the organic dark chocolate covered almonds. I sure would love to try more of their treats!

    Great article in EAT, by the way!

  31. I am “nuts” about nuts…..But seriously, I remember in the 100 mile diet how they went and got fresh nuts within the 100 mile radius. So much we take for granted in this amazing part of the world we live in….I wanted to add that you were the one who really drove home for me the difference roasted nuts make. I had used them mostly in salads, etc. but it really moves baking up a notch!

  32. Oh Heidi. I remember your explaining about these delicious nuts at the Indian food cookery course on Quadra! You are so right. Now is the season for FRESH nuts!

  33. How lovely of Rancho Vignola to provide another basket of goodies! I hope they have dates — frozen dates are almost like nature’s caramel/toffee!

  34. That’s the best gift for a foodie, like me…I mean i would love to give it to my son, but, i know it would never make it out of my house, so he’d simply have to come for a visit to try some of the lovely nuts. (What we won’t do foe a visit!)

  35. The photo of the gift basket is so tempting! Thanks for offering this to your readers. I still have lots of happy memories of your cooking classes at the Fairfield Community Centre – you changed our cooking forever!!

  36. I love the chance to eat fresh nuts. So… so… so… yummy!
    Fruit dried with care … so flavourful … I can taste the love!

  37. I live on Vancouver Island and kayak in the winter which means having some snacks to keep energy levels up. This would be a great gift to share with kayaking friends while on the water.

  38. Nuts and draws aside i totally recommend to anyone to take one of Heidi’s cooking classes. My girlfirend and i have been to India a couple of times and love Indian food, but when we cook it, it never takes the same as in India. We took a class on Indian meals at the London Chef, with Heidi and boy did we learn a lot….. and now we can make Indian food that “tastes” like Indian food.

  39. Admittedly, as I hand my head in shame, I have never experienced fresh nuts. What makes this more shameful is that I live just down the road from a local hazelnut farm. Perhaps, this basket could be my gateway to the wide world of fresh nuts.

  40. This post quickly reminded me of the vow I made last December: to make your “Homemade Christmas Stollen” recipe! I was very fortunate to receive it as a Christmas gift from a friend last year and I made a promise to gift it to others this year. Thanks for the “fruit and nuts” reminder!

  41. I’ve taken many of your classes, Heidi, and often use your recipes for soups, Indian dishes, holiday treats, beans, tofu, etc etc. Always enjoy your blog, tips on where to find great ingredients, and the recipes you share on your website and in local foodie mags. I too must discover the difference between fresh and bulk nuts; thanks for recommending this source and please enter me in the draw.

  42. I have taken several of your classes and love the ‘tips’ that you provide on just the right ingredients (and where to find them) to make the recipes soooo tasty! Thanks for sharing your wealth of information and the opportunity to try some of those special Rancho Vignola nuts! I hope I’m lucky to win that beautiful basket to share with family and friends.

  43. What a lovely giveaway! I’d make pecan cookies, shortbread dipped in chocolate and crushed nuts, and maybe sneak a handful of raw ones just for me! Thanks for the opportunity to win Heidi!!

  44. That looks delicious! I have always been disappointed by Supermarket nuts but it never occurred to me to look for a better source. You’ve inspired me again! And I hope I win!

  45. What a wonderful gift to offer! Thank you! Love baking, especially Christmas baking and I love Rancho Vignola. A local group always puts in a big fruit & nut order every fall. Would definitely love to win one of these scrumptious baskets!

  46. I read your blog last year about Rancho Vignola and am hopeful to order from their Dec Harvest Event. I would love to win a basket! Happy Holidays!

  47. Rancho Vignola stuff is amazing. The first year we participated in the bulk buying, we had ordered walnuts. I was not keen on walnuts and usually preferred pecans in my cooking. When we received the walnuts my husband and I ate about a pound before they even made it to the cool storage. They were so sweet and fresh – totally unlike walnuts purchased from a store. Now, walnuts are one of my favourite nuts.

  48. a pallet full! awesome! mostly my cooking is vegan and having those fresh nuts is pure gold! pecan beet burgers rule!

  49. Just found your blog! Rebar has been my favorite cookbook ever since it was published! The Rancho basket looks fabulous and will be a wonderful treat for someone!

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