Oh I so wanted to be out in the fields climbing the ladders into the olive trees and helping with the harvest, but I was a bit too early. Olive harvest is fast approaching in Italy. The collection of those black gems occurs between late October to mid November and it will literally take a village to harvest them all.
As I made my way through mid to northern Italy this month I notice orange netting all along the countryside. This netting is in place to catch the olives that will be harvested. The netting is wrapped around the tree trunks and across the surrounding ground to make collection of the olives most efficient. Depending on the slope of your land, the amount of money you have and the age of your olive trees will determine how those olives are released from the branches. If you can afford it you may bring an mechanical tree shaker into your olive grove, or you may just get a wooden ladder and prop it up against the trunk. For those who can afford a mechanical method, machines are brought in to actually hug the tree trunks and give them a shake, causing the olives to fall to the ground. For those of lesser means, which would be most local farmers living throughout the Tuscany region, you will call all of your friends and family to come and assist you with the harvest. Pickers climb simple wooden ladders and hand pick those precious jewels or rake and shake the branches until all the olives fall into the nets.
Time is of the essence and you have none to waste if you want a good quality olive oil. Throughout the region, olive oil processors are replacing the old fashion stone processing methods. A smart farmer knows that they need to keep up with technology and that time is money, so many are having their olives pressed at local olive oil processing plants.
Here is how it currently works-
You call the processor of your choice and make an appointment to have your olives processed. You tell them that you will be picking on a particular date and how many acres of trees you will be harvesting and your picking method. This will determine how long the harvesting process will take,. From that calculation you are given a time to bring your crop to the plant. An early morning harvest on a 10 acre farm may give you a 3:00 pm appointment at the processing plant. A good olive farmer knows that the longer the olives seat off the trees then less desirable the olive oil will taste, so quick work is imperative. Your olives are quickly brought to the plant where the olives will be sorted, washed, crushed and pressed into oil. Nothing is wasted, even the pits release a usable oil that is included in the finished product.
Once your olives have been pressed, you then take your finished product to be bottled or stored as you wish. Many Tuscan's will make oil for their own use. A family that I stayed with had two Foosties (stainless steel containers designed for storing and dispensing oil) in their basement where their oil was stored. They process enough oil each year to supply their immediate family (and grandma too) enough to last until next years harvest.
Olive oil must be kept in a cool dark place to keep it fresh and free from rancidity. Never store your oil in the refrigerator as it will coagulate and be difficult or impossible to pour. Try it some time- place a little oil in a glass or if you have an olive oil based salad dressing, place it in your refrigerate for about an hour. What happens?
Here are some interesting facts about olives that you may not know:
1. Did you know that olives only come in one color? When they are young and immature they are green. When they are fully ripened they are black in color. You may have eaten or seen beautiful red, deep green or very black olives. They get to be that color because of the processing-brine, water, or lye.
Olives eaten right from the tree are very biter. To make them edible and enjoyable they need to be processed,
2. Olives are considered a fruit and come from the Olea europea tree. There are a few varieties including the arbequina, bosana, kalamata, manzanilla and mission.
3. Olives are extremely healthy for you and should be found in your daily diet! Pop a few in your mouth each day or incorporate olive oil into your cooking. Olives are high in cholesterol-lowering monounsaturated fats and provide you with many health-protective nutrients, including a variety of antioxidants.
4. A cup of olives will provide 22% of your daily requirement (DV) of iron (recommended 2,000 calorie diet), 16% of your DV of fiber and 20% DV for copper and provide 148 calories. So eat up!
5. A study published in this years Journal of Alzheimer's Disease found that daily consumption of olive oil or olives may protect against age -related cognitive decline or Alzheimer's disease. A study published in the Journal of Agricultural Food Chemistry found that olive skins contain important antioxidants that may protect against breast cancer cell growth.
Give these fantastic olive treats a try-
Either jarred or from an olive bar, olives come in a variety of colors and flavors . Red, green, large and small, crinkled, pitted or stuffed there is an olive out there to please any palate. I enjoy olives brined with lemons or stuffed with garlic cloves or garnished with fresh herbs like rosemary. Tapenade, or olive spread, makes a great snack or appetizer. Toss it with pasta or top a pizza, or add some to a salad. Oh the possibilities are endless!
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