Tuesday, November 28, 2006

Harvest time

We had fun meeting customers and spreading the word about olive oil at Heritage Hall last weekend. We will keep you posted about other events.

Last week we received a preview taste of what is to come when Francesco and Mario sent us a sample of the new oil that is being pressed right now. It is amazing. There is nothing like the bright green colour and taste of freshly pressed oil. We cannot wait for our big shipment to arrive in February 2007. Make sure you order some soon!

At the moment everyone in Amelia is busy harvesting the olives. I am sad to not be part of it this year. I used to love the soft sound of the olives as they bounce off the ladder and gently drop onto the nets laid out under the trees. The best part of all is taking your olives to the mill, waiting patiently for your turn and pacing as the olives go through the milling process. Finally, it all ends with a green jet of gold coming steadily out of a stainless steel spout. Bread is toasted over the fire in preparation for tasting the first oil. All the hopes of a year of hard work are held in that moment. Satisfaction comes in the smiles on people's faces as they crunch their toast that is drips with oil.

This year I am there in spirit and pacing the floor here in Vancouver.

Here is a fun link that Julie found to a slideshow of the olive harvest in Calabria, Italy (in the South). The trees are much bigger than those in Umbria and the harvesting methods are slightly different but these images certainly capture the beauty of the olive grove.

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