A New Year Resolution

Olives Against A Blue Sky by OlivePicking

If, like me, you are thinking of making small changes to become more eco-conscious in 2011 how about starting off by buying a bag to put your shopping in (and so avoiding all those plastic carriers).  This great bag can be rolled up and popped into your pocket ready for use.  You can also customise it at no additional cost - adding your own name or slogan.  Happy Shopping!

Season's Greetings

With very best wishes from a cold and snow covered UK.

An Olive Picking Advent Calendar

It is now December and so we begin the Christmas countdown.  I have created an online Olive Picking Advent Calendar which I hope you will enjoy.

Please note our advent calendar was only available during December - but why not visit www.OlivePicking.com and try your hand at our quiz instead.

Making Limoncello

We have spent a cold and frosty afternoon making limoncello.  Just like with the olive picking the scent from the lemons pervades the air and stains our skin!  Our homegrown taste of Italy.

My Airport Gift Upgrade

The Olive Harvest on a Tea Towel

Last week when I was flying back from Ancona I decided to go and browse around the gift shop at the airport. Suddenly I saw a tea towel that made me smile - a map of Italy showing the whole process of the olive harvest - this I thought was meant for me.  I collected together €3.50 in small change - apologising for the growing pile of coins but the lovely lady who served me insisted this was fine.  She took my purchase - carefully folded and wrapped it in a pretty bag and sealed it with a decorative butterfly clip.  Exemplary customer service - I just wish I'd asked her name but to the unknown lady at the Ancona airport gift shop grazie mille.

Present Inspiration Starts Here!

It seems hard to believe that in just over five weeks time it will be Christmas!  If you need a little present inspiration why not visit The Olive Picking Gift Store - from a key ring to an olive grove -  there should be something to suit everyone.

You can start shopping HERE.

Ancient Olive Trees For Sale

These very beautiful and ancient olive trees form part of an olive grove which is currently for sale.  They are in southern Italy, in Puglia and I am trying to resist the temptation to rush straight down there and buy them. If you are equally tempted contact Italian Properties.

Yes The Olives Are Ready

 

Just back from a fortnight spent in Le Marche in Italy.  Everywhere we went there were olives just waiting to be picked.

The Apple and The Vine

Apple trees support vines outside Gualdo in Le Marche

Not olive trees but a fascinating glimpse at some great cultivation.  The old apple trees were growing on a hillside outside Gualdo and up each had been trained a grape vine.

All That Remains





Inside the mill is full of noise and activity as the new oil is being produced.  Outside it's much clamer the only sign of the harvest being the silver leaves falling gently into the trailer.

Pressing the Olives



Pressing oil from the olives the old fashioned way

Thanks to Bob and Ian from Casal Dei Fichi I got the chance to visit their local mill in Mogliano (Corradini Corrado & Co).  Here as well as more modern equipment they still use the old pressing techniques - the stone wheels crush the olives and the paste is then pressed between discs to extract the oil. I came back with fruity, peppery oil pressed from the 'Piantone di Mogliano'.



Everyone is Busy



A little quicker than hand picking but not as peaceful

This week everywhere is alive with the sound of people being busy on their land.  Tractors are driving up and down the fields, olives are being taken from the trees - it is great to be part of this rural way of life if only for a while.

Penna San Giovanni

A doorway decorated for the Chestnut Festival in Penna San Giovanni.

Italian Olives

Help Available With Your Olive Harvest

Thanks to Russ and Sergio at La Grande Quercia for this brilliant photo.  This is a fabulous boutique bed and breakfast in Abruzzo.




 If the thought of your olive harvest leaves you feeling like this read on ... 

An Italian speaking American based in Turin is available at weekends and would like to volunteer to help you.  If you can provide an opportunity for olive picking please make contact via An American In Turin.

How Many Olives Are Needed to Make Olive Oil?

There are a huge number of olive varieties and these vary in their oil content.  The amount of oil that an olive produces is also influenced by the growing and climatic conditions and of course the milling process.

Generally it will take somewhere between 4 and 8 kg of olives to make a litre of cold pressed extra virgin olive oil and that will involve picking over 1000 olives.

hand picked olives waiting to go and be milled

EVOO or CPEVOOO!

The acronym EVOO stands for extra virgin olive oil but I thought I could go one better with cold pressed, extra virgin, organic olive oil. 

If you go olive picking the chances are that this is what you will be bringing home.  I guess it is then HP (hand picked) CPEVOOO enjoy!

hand picked cold pressed extra virgin olive oil

Remember if you want to arrange your own olive picking experience visit http://www.olivepicking.com/ to find out how.

Olive Oil Pizza Bread

I have been making OLIVE OIL Pizza Bread tonight.  It is a delicious way to use some of your special extra virgin olive oil and a great accompaniment to any sort of pasta dish.

Pizza Bread Recipe:

750g strong white flour
1 sachet easy blend dried yeast
200ml milk
225ml warm water
1 tablespoon olive oil

plus: rosemary leaves, chilli flakes, sea salt and more olive oil to put on the top!

Mix the flour and yeast together in a large bowl.  Mix the water, milk and olive oil together and pour into the flour, stirring to make a ball of dough which leaves the sides of the bowl clean.

Turn the dough onto a floured surface and knead for 10 minutes until smooth and silky. Wash and dry your bowl, wipe inside it with a film of olive oil and put the bread mixture back in to rise (this will take about an hour and a half in a warm place).

When the dough has risen put your oven on to its highest setting and put a baking sheet in to heat. 

Turn the dough out of the bowl and divide into three pieces (I normally freeze two for later - when using thaw and pick up recipe again at this stage).  Roll into a round about 1cm thick.  Leave for 5 minutes then poke the tips of your fingers into the dough to make holes that will retain the olive oil.  Drizzle the top with olive oil, sprinkle with chopped fresh rosemary, add some dried chilli flakes and a sprinkling of sea salt.


the dough sprinkled with rosemary, chili and sea salt

and drizzled with extra virgin olive oil

Now comes the tricky bit - take your very hot baking sheet out of the oven, stand it somewhere heatproof like the oven hob while you carefully place your bread onto it.  At this stage your neat round will probably end up a much more rustic shape but that is all part of its charm.

Bake for about 10 - 12 minutes (turning the baking sheet round after 8 minutes if it is browning too much on one side).

We normally devour this as soon as its cool enough to eat.

the baked olive oil pizza bread

This recipe has been based on one in the Low Fat No Fat Cookbook published by Reader's Digest.

Olive Varieties - the Cornicabra

Did you know that Spain has more than 250 varieties of olive in cultivation?  Many of these have wonderfully evocative names like the 'cornicabra' which means 'goat's horn' and gets its name from the shape of the fruit (plus I have to say some imagination!)  The oil itself is fruity and golden yellow with a smooth and velvety texture.



The Cornicabra

  Picture credit: http://www.asoliva.es/

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