Help with the Olive Harvest

Are you looking for a new challenge? A chance to spend a week or longer doing something different? Often people with many olive trees to harvest, or old groves to restore would welcome help in return for varying deals: normally think in terms of a days work in exchange for free board.  If you want help or wish to offer help you can post on the site and we will try and match opportunities with volunteers.

Use this link to find out more:
http://www.olivepicking.com/Olive-Pickers-Required.html

Hispellum Start Their Harvest





Images Copyright Azienda Agraria Hispellum

I would like to wish Azienda Agraria Hispellum very good luck as they start around a month of Olive Picking this week.  They grow their olives using biodynamic methods in the hills surrounding Spello.  This beautiful part of Italy is near to Assisi.  They grow the Moraiolo cultivar which needs picking earlier than many other varieties to produce an outstanding monocultivar oil: Terre Rosse (I love their description of a full round oil with fruity tones and a strong personality)!

Can I Come Olive Picking Without Hiring A Car?

"APE" the Italian for 'bee'

I love this APE (pronounced 'ah-pay') the Italian must have vehicle for Nonno's and Boy Racer's (yes really as you can drive one when you are only 14!!) However I digress!

A number of people have contacted me to find out whether a hire car is essential for a holiday olive picking.  The good news is that for a number of holidays you don't need to stress about driving in a strange country (and possibly also on the 'wrong' side of the road!)

If you browse through the Olive Picking Holiday Directory you will find a number of options where you can opt to travel by train and in some cases your hosts will be very happy to arrange to meet you from a nearby station (or else can arrange your connection for you).

Do watch this - it will definately make you laugh. Ahh mi piace molto!

An Olive Picking Holiday

If you have already been on an olive picking holiday you will know how special it is: the friendships, the location, the olive oil (like none you have ever tasted before), the food, the experiences ...

Now is the perfect time to book your holiday with an excellent range of options - a weekend or a week, picking for several days, or just an hour to get a feel of things.  Browse the main www.OlivePicking.com website for ideas, but whatever you do make sure this is on your lifetime 101 list, I personally promise you won't be disappointed. Many of our holidays are offered at excellent rates and by booking now you will benefit from cheap air travel and car hire.

If you aren't sure where to go or which holiday would suit you best please email me on admin@olivepicking.com and I will be happy to help. The main thing is just to DO IT!!

The World's Most Expensive Olive Oil

Lambda Olive Oil

Sitting here thinking about the depressing financial state of the economy at the moment I got to wondering about which is the world's most expensive olive oil. It would appear that the answer is an oil from the Kritsa region of Crete.

Lambda is an intensely fruity oil with a very low acidity. Made from Koroneiki olives that are cold pressed within 8 hours of picking, the resulting oil is poured into specially designed flasks and then stoppered with a silicone cork, all this is done by hand to create oil of the finest quality - marketed as the world's first luxury olive oil.

If you want to sample some for yourself you need to dig deep into your wallet - the price is around 150 euros per litre! If this isn't quite impressive enough you can pay more to have your signature engraved on the bottle, quite a bit more actually - this will set you back over 10,000 euros!! More information is available from the Sperion Company.

Olive Conservation in Malta

Photo credit: rosevita from morguefile.com

Indigenous olive trees growing in Malta were at risk of being lost and replaced by imported cultivars.  Dating back over 2000 years these native trees have shown good resistance to disease especially to attack from the olive fruit fly.

To prevent the loss of these ancient trees retired jeweller Sam Cremona set up the PRIMO project (a collaboration between the Maltese Government and the Bank of Valletta) which is working to use grafted cuttings to increase the stock.

The long term aim of the project is to have over 30,000 trees grown across Malta and Gozo enabling the production of monocultivar Maltese olive oil.

Bioenergy From Olive Trees

The use of olive tree prunings for fuel is traditional in olive growing areas throughout the world.  Now however, as fuel prices increase and concerns grow about sustainability, the possibility of commercial energy production from olive tree prunings is the subject of various research projects. Biomass is an  alternative energy source which is gaining increasing interest - it will be fascinating to see how these initiatives develop.  Already the waste from commercial olive oil production is being used for energy generation, Spain in particular is making use of olive pits to generate domestic and commercial heating solutions.

Congratulations Australia!

The Australian Olive Association has reported that the 2011 harvest has produced just over 16 million litres of olive oil - so fire up the barbie! Victoria is the highest producing state responsible for over 10 million litres.

Whilst production is slightly down on predictions, due in part to the heat and heavy flooding earlier in the year, the good news is that over 80% of this olive oil meets the extra virgin classification.

Send A Postcard

Email is great but why not surprise someone by sending them a postcard this summer! Inspired by photos taken during my travels a range of high quality products are now available including cards, mugs, aprons, bags and mouse mats. The best news is you can customise them at no extra charge - so why not add a name or message and MAKE SOMEONE'S DAY - today!

The Olives Are Waiting by OlivePicking
Browse other Ripe Postcards

This brilliant design service comes from Zazzle, please use the link above to view the products direct (they don't have a white border this is just for display on the blog).

Australian Olive Oil Standards

Olive oil producers in Australia are welcoming the introduction last week of voluntary new standards which will ensure more accurate labelling of olive oil (both home produced and imported). These provide a clear definition what can be classified as Extra Virgin Olive Oil and producers will need to verify their oil production methods in order to use terms such as  first extraction and cold pressed. Bottles will also be required to carry a 'best before' date that has been accurately formulated. The industry, represented by the Australian Olive Association gave a welcome to the standards which have come about after a lengthy, ten year, consultation process.

Our Olive Oil Intake is Increasing!

UK consumers are purchasing more olive oil now than at any time previously. Foreign travel, cookery programmes and health benefits have all driven up the amount of olive oil we consume.  Annual sales have reached £150 million a year, with a steady increase over the last twenty years.

However for me the amazing statistic is that half our households in the UK don't use any olive oil! For me extra virgin olive oil is my 'can't live without' culinary item (along with sea salt and fresh black pepper).

Surprise Result From Olive Oil Testing

The revered UK consumer magazine "Which?" recently carried out a taste testing on 12 extra virgin olive oils commonly available in the UK.  The surprise result from this 'blind' tasting was that the winner was Napolina's standard extra virgin olive oil. This cheaper Napolina oil beat their more expensive Special Selection product (which costs almost £2 more) and came top overall.

Latest Award for Greek Oil

I am delighted to congratulate The Astrikas Estate in northwestern Crete who have just won an award for their organic, stone milled and cold pressed Biolea oil. This latest quality award is from 'Gastronome' which rewards producers, processors and traders of outstanding Greek produce. If you are visiting Crete this summer the Astrikas Estate is located at Kolymbari about 30 km from Chania and they offer a warm welcome to visitors throughout the year. Concerned with the environment and sustainability the company works to promote organic cultivation in Crete.

Croatia Wins Best Non European Oil



Sandi Chiavalon by Goran Šebelić (http://www.istria-gourmet.com/)



At the recenty held 10th International Olive Oil Awards in Zurich the award for Best Non European Olive Oil went to a contender from the Istrian region of Croatia: Ex Albis produced by Sandi Chiavalon. If you are interested in visiting this region why not explore the Olive Oil Roads of Istria.  Find out more information from the Istrian Tourism Board or via the istria-gourmet website which includes this portrait of Sandi Chiavalon taken by Goran Šebelić.

Other Olive Oil routes to explore can be found on the Olive Picking website.

Australian Olives

Early indications are that this is going to be an amazing year for the Australian olive harvest, with yeilds in areas such as western Victoria, up by 50%.  This is due to the wet summer which has left trees laden with ripening olives.  Family owned Toscana will be busy gathering olives from around 28,000 trees.  Their award winning extra virgin olive oil comes from one of Australia's oldest olive groves established in 1943. If you live in Australia you can contact them for a free tasting sample!  Elsewhere you can buy the oil online.  Enjoy!

An Easter Wish

There is a lovely tradition across the Mediterranean of blessing olive branches in church on Palm Sunday, these are then taken back and placed in the home to ensure its protection throughout the year to come. 

May I wish all my website visitors a safe year and a very Happy Easter.

Peach Blossom In An Olive Tree

A peach tree seedling had clambered its way up into an old olive tree and was decorating the branches with perfect, almost artificial looking, pink flowers. I would love to see it when the fruit start to ripen.

Pruning Time

I have just returned from visiting the Le Marche and Abruzzo regions of Italy and everywhere olive trees were being pruned.  The weather was glorious and each fine day was marked with spirals of smoke reaching out across the valleys as the branches were burnt. It was really good to see the trees being so well cared for.

An Olive Picking Holiday

Yes it's NOW the ideal time to start planning your olive picking holiday in order to get the exactly what you want and also to take advantage of good prices for flights and car hire.  Olive picking is the perfect break to combine with a city stop too, and now you can book all your travel needs via our site to make it even easier!  If you need further help or advice just email us. Now it's up to you to start browsing and planning ...

A Miserable Spring



our hand-picked-home-bottled-extra-virgin-olive-oil


You know you are having a cold spring when you go to get a bottle of olive oil out of your cupboard and find it has solidified!!  Roll on summer and hot days ahead, but at the moment I'd be happy to settle for just a little more warmth. If you live in a land where your oil is always liquid I envy you!

Why Not Buy Your Own Olive Tree?

Mature Olive Trees Available from Villaggio Verde

www.villaggioverde.co.uk

If you are reading this, the chances are that you love olive trees and the feeling of security and well being that they evoke.  But did you know that olives grow well in countries like England with cold winters (surprisingly an older tree can cope when temperatures go down as low as -12°C). Why not buy a fabulous hundred year old olive tree with its knarled and twisted trunk and underplant with lavender or rosemary to create your own very special place to sit out and dream this summer.

Now the Swallows Can Fly Through!



There is a  traditional saying that I love which says you should prune your olive trees so that 'the swallows can fly through', meaning that the ideal tree shape is one with an open centre allowing air and sunshine to penetrate right into the heart of the tree. This promotes vigour and prevents disease. Olive pruning normally takes place at the end of the harvest and the cut wood makes an excellent contribution to the log store!

The Perfect Gift For Your Loved One



If you are looking for a romantic gift why not adopt an olive tree (or two): this makes a wonderful, affordable and unusual present, not only will you get a photograph of your tree (which often you can go and visit) but you will receive your 'own' extra virgin olive oil to enjoy later in the year.  Click here to find out more about this unique way of showing just how much you love someone ...

Help Us Discover The Best Olive Oil

At Olive Picking we are keen to share our discoveries with you, but today we need your help to find the best olive oil.  Your nominations will help us create a new page on the website.  Just tell us about your favourite oil using the comment box below this post.

Olive Oil Can Lift Depression

I was interested to read today of a University study confirming that olive oil can help prevent depression. There is certainly something life affirming about adding olive oil to your diet. For me I think it is partly because it triggers memories of harvesting the olives.  I remember the views from the trees as I clambered around and the scent of crushed mint and oregano underfoot.  It certainly lifts my spirits on a grey cold January day.



Happy Days Harvesting Olives



Wine and Olives

I have come across a great Tuscan proverb that says: 'where olives can't grow, a great wine is impossible to make'. Olives and vines both have an ancient history of cultivation and respond to being grown with love and care.  This allows the terroir (the alchemy of plant, environment and soil) to influence the resulting oil and wine.  Visit the Olive Picking Video Diaries to see two wineries one in Portugal and one in California, both growing olives for extra virgin olive oil.

It has to be healthy - it contains figs!

I have just sampled a delicious taste of Italy ..

 

 

Imagine a log of wonderful things: dried honeyed figs, almonds, walnuts, dates, pistachios, bitter chocolate, brandy, strega and more ... dusted in icing sugar, wrapped in rice paper and served sliced into small sublime rounds.

Labelled as 'frustringo' I found 'frustingolo' mentioned on the internet - a traditional dolci from Le Marche, but their version is baked unlike here where the ingredients are just mixed together and left somewhere cool for a month to mature (it would be brilliant to make and serve alongside Limoncello as both take about the same waiting time).

A big thank you to my sister who introduced me to this delight and to her friend Jack who lovingly made it - grazie mille!

1/1/11





HAPPY NEW YEAR

1.1.11

What a special date!  I would like to wish everyone a very happy and successful 2011. May all your hopes come true.