EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL

http://www.bestoftuscany.it/

When we first started coming to Tuscany a few years back,  I was a virgin in the olive oil knowledge area. I knew there were Extra Virgin, Virgin, and olive oil. In Loro Ciuffena near the cottage IL Poggilino where we were staying (a place we both love) there was a olive oil co-op that we visited.  They offered to educate us on olive oil and set up little shot glasses of oil to taste.  First I thought "are these people nuts wanting me to do oil shooters!" Wow! I never realized what a difference there could be in olive oils.  No matter what price we have paid since then in the U.S., we cannot get olive equal to what you get here at the source.

That is why I wanted to come one time and experience the whole process from harvesting to eating.

Villa Ceppeto, outside of Monte San Savino, where we are staying now, has 750 olive trees.  They are not harvested in the way I am used to. When I was young working on the farm you would start at the beginning of the row and finish at the other end. In the olives, not every tree is harvested and not every tree in a row is ready at the same time. It is, to me, sort of a mystical event.  Manuela, the "Olive Boss", loves her trees and I think has some type of mental connection with them. When we finish a tree she will walk around pulling the big net until the next tree calls out to her.  It may the right next to the last one or up the hill or on the other side of the orchard. The color of the olive is not the important part, it is how oily the olive is. Once you pick a tree every olive comes off and I mean every olive. We just wait for her to say "come on boys" and we grab our gear and follow her dragging the net.

 "Come on boys"

Harvest is not difficult but it is tiring if you do it all day long. But every day is a social event, chatting and talking. Some times to me in English and a lot between Daniel and Manuela in Italian. . About the weather, the trees, the harvest, our next adventure. (They are off to NY city for Christmas and New Year's. You should see what you can get in a NY city home exchange when you have apartments in Tuscany. Daniel says I should buy one just for the home exchanges). It is basically Manuela and Daniel harvesting, except on weekends their friends may come from around Italy to help and visit. A lot of times I have seen Manuela working by herself all day.

 Manuela, Spotty and me.

 This tree is over 250 years old. Spotty is making sure I do it right.

Daniel working on the ladder

With 750 olive trees you would think a lost olive here or there would not be a big deal.  It is. To the "Olive Boss", every olive counts. It can take as long as two hours to harvest a really good tree and I will admit that by end of the day on the last couple of trees, we may leave a olive or two and hope she doesn't see them.

There are fun moments like having lunch in the field or,when near the house, Manuela brought out fresh cakes and vin sante for an afternoon break. The other couple, Molly and Rick, are staying here for a few days and also helped harvest between tours of the countryside.

Once the you have a large enough harvest, you load it and take it to the local co-op for pressing. We loaded, with Spotty the "supervisor", 40 crates that equaled 625 kg or about 1,375 pounds. 

At the co-op they are dumped in the hopper and the process begins. It is a six step process.

They are shaken to get trash out. Then washed and shaken to get more trash out. Then they go to a machine that  pulverizes them into a paste. From there they go into a big auger that helps separate out the liquid.  The liquid then goes into a big rotating vat that separates more of the particle matter.  The final stage is a centrifuge that separates out the water and there it is ......extra virgin olive oil. This a very loud noisy process that takes about 2 hours. 

 Into the hopper to start the process

 Daniel inspecting the olives along the process

 The washer

 The auger.

 The auger turning the olives into paste and separating the liquid.

 Liquid from the separator

 The first flow of our new oil.

Hurray the oil is flowing.

So, where does virgin oil and regular oil come from......

 ...here...

..... and here.

The remains of the product is dumped into a big dumpster and sold where it will be pressed again to produce Virgin Olive oil and pressed again for just plain olive oil.

Daniel loaded the oil in his care and headed back to Villa Cepetto where Vicki and I were allowed into the "vault" where the wine is made and stored along with the olive oil.  We poured the barrels into the big stainless steel vats.

 Vicki and Daniel in the secret cave

The last year Manuela's father made wine.

Then by tradition, you warm Tuscan bread (no salt) on a wood stove, rub garlic on the warm bread, pour on the fresh, still warm from the pressing, extra virgin olive oil, sprinkle a little salt and bite down. Let me tell you....it is great. 

Oh yea, add wine.

For me it was a wonderful experience. Harvesting olives all day and dragging home pleasantly tired and tasting the fruits of your work is a wonderful experience. There is a lot of work that goes into producing extra virgin oil. In Tuscany it is all done by hand. No tree shakers or any of that modern stuff. No spreading nets and letting the olives fall off the tree.  They are all picked by hand.  In the end, I think it is a much superior product.

 The view from our apartment in the morning when I go to work.

The view when you come home.

TUSCANY

SPOUSAL COMMUNICATION

Part II

(Ladies, please skip to the next entry. This is for men only.)

 

Sure enough, in the morning it was raining. She arose around 9 and after having her coffee she said "lets go to the winery". I replied "sure" and we loaded into the car.

 

I must regress here a moment. While waiting for the rental car van at the airport in Rome, every time a limo would pull up she would say "is that for me". Remember, I had just chauffeured her for 3 weeks around Turkey. When we arrive at the rental car company and asked for her license to put her on the contract I am told, "I don't know why,you never let me drive". So, I decided she could chauffer my ass around Tuscany for two weeks.

 

Back to the moment.

 

We run through the rain and jump in the car. She starts the car and then says, "I don't want to go anywhere in this rain".

 

I think, but do not say, "any chance that could have been figured out before we ran through the rain."

 

"Ok honey" I reply "whatever you want."  And we dash back through the rain to the apartment.

 

The rain stopped about noon, the time we would have arrived in Chianti, and she says "lets go to town for pizza".  Ok and we jump in the car and she drives us away.

 

We find that, though the restaurants in Monte San Savino are open for lunch, you can not get pizza until after 5 PM this time of year. We tried every place including the truck stop and got the same reply. So we head back up the hill for home for plan C but, at the last minute, decided to try a restaurant close to home out in the country that we have never visited.  She goes in to see if they are open, comes back out and signals they are open.

 

It is a very nice place with a great view and we set down at a table. Only one other couple are in this rural restaurant. 

 

"Did you ask if they are serving pizza" I ask?  "Well she handed me the whole menu so they must be" she replies.

 

So I am thinking to myself, "we have been to every damn restaurant in town looking for pizza, they all say no, and you don't bother to ask if they are serving pizza." Which is all she wanted to eat.

 

When the waitress arrives I ask, "are you serving pizza"?  "No, not until after 5 PM." Why am I not surprised, but she is.

 

I see this all ending badly.  I am amazed that despite the fact I am yelling inside I say nothing. Men, you know what I am talking about.

 

This could have all ended on a very bad marital note. However, we ordered pasta, instead of pizza.  What saved the day was the service was impeccable, the view magnificent, and the pasta, some of the best either of us has ever tasted!!!!  All was forgotten when the meal was served.  Great pasta, good wine, sunshine and a wonderful view saved our marital bless one more time!

 

We left holding hands and me behind the wheel again.

 

Thank you Podere Pendolino, Ristorante-Pizzeria-B&B.

http://www.albatrosristorazione.it/pendolino.htm

 

 

Family & ITALY

Being in the Army my family did not have much money to go around with 5 children.  But our parents, especially my Mother, tried to expose us to as much of the world as they could.  We had many great camping trips around Europe during my Dad's second tour there in the 50's.  One of those was to Italy to all the historic sights.  Rome, Pisa, Venice1`, the Vatican and Lake Como. I have many great memories of those family trips. Looking back at the pictures, the main thing I notice now is the lack of traffic and people.

I blame my wanderlust on my mother. At the ripe age of 6 weeks, she put me in a straw basket like a puppy, and we traveled by train and troop ship from Germany to the U.S. Thus was the beginnings of my wanderings that continue to this day.
Thank you Mom.

TUSCANY

SPOUSAL COMMUNICATIONS

 Oct  26

You know, all those books they write about women and men communicating and how to do it and how one sex perceives things as opposed to the other sex.....send them to me.

 

For about six months, I have said, and believe it is even in print in this blog, that "I am going to Tuscany to pick olives for two weeks" . Simple, short, no misspelling or grammar errors in that quote. No hidden agenda, no maybes, nothing ambiguous, just a straight forward "I am going to Tuscany to pick olives for two weeks".

 

Obviously, I missed something.  Let me try this again, "I am going to Tuscany to pick olives for two weeks".  Ok, I have studied that in print and said it out loud several times and it seems pretty straight forward....to me.  I tried it on Daniel and he agrees. He speaks many languages and he interprets it to mean "from 9 to 6 you will be picking olives with me". I did not ask the "olive boss" as she might not understand it in English and besides she is always saying "poor Vicki...". The "olive supervisor", Spotty ,would be no help as he goes with whoever snuck him that last treat.

 

So, when I dragged myself home yesterday at after 6 PM expecting a nice hearty farmers meal on the table and a glass of the nice estate wine.  I was a little shocked when it was not there. Well, that doesn't happen on a regular day, so it was some of the imaginary gentleman farmer thing going on in my head and I should not have been shocked. Now don't get me wrong, Vicki cooks a fine meal, we just don't eat at 6 at our house unless I make a baloney sandwich.

 

I took a shower, after having literally worked my pants off, all day.

 

I came out of the shower and Vicki had a nice martini waiting for me. She is wonderful and I love her dearly. Best thing that ever happened to me. Well, after finding all that gold back in the 70's. A wonderful companion and life partner. I am a lucky man and sat down to enjoy a evening drink with my beautiful wife.

 

"I did not know that when you said you were coming to Tuscany to pick olives you meant everyday from 9 to 6". ZING!!! 

 

 I sat there looking into my vodka thinking "damn, that drink is talking to me".  I said "excuse me"? 

 

 "I did not know that when you said you were coming to Tuscany to pick olives you meant everyday from 9 to 6". POW!!!

 

Nope, not the vodka talking and I had just barely had a sip, so it wasn't drunkenness talking to me either. I took another sip and looked up. And there was the Princess smiling at me....sort of.

 

"When you said you were coming to Tuscany to pick olives I did not expect you to do it everyday all day."

 

Well, that was not a fair statement as we have only been here 3 days and I have only picked 2.5 days. I stared into the vodka. The vodka said "be real careful boy, you may be getting yourself into a dangerous place". I took a slow sip and thought quickly. Even though my body was tired from pulling olives all day, it is not mind numbing work, so the mindt helped figure out what to say.

 

"I'm sorry honey, what did you think that statement meant", I said in a very even quiet voice. Which was not easy as what little mind I have left was shouting it.

 

"Well, I don't know?"  A response I am sure will be explained by one of those many "relationship" books you are going to send me.

 

"Well honey, I have been saying for a long time 'I am going to Tuscany to pick olive'. I think that is what I am doing."

 

"Yes, but....." This response too I am sure will be explained in the books.

 

Men, you know how the rest of this goes.  You give in and move on or you don't and you move out.

 

So, I said "Ok honey, tomorrow I will take you up to that little winery in Chianti that we like so much."

 

She smiled real big, gave me a little kiss and said "that would be wonderful". Then got up to cook my hearty farmers dinner.

 

I never told her that is going to rain tomorrow so we can't pick olives anyway.

 

 

 

TUSCANY

TUSCANY

We arrived in Monte San Savino about 21:30 and met Daniel coming down the hill from his house. Our first few nights would be at Villa Manciano as the 3 apartments at Villa Ceppeto were occupied. After Daniel left,  we drank a little wine and called it a day about 23:00. (www,bestoftuscany.com)

As much as I loved Turkey, waking up in Tuscano was like being home again. I watched the sun come over the hills behind the town of Cortona.  A trip down the road to the bakery for fresh pastry and some coffee to begin the day. I left to pick olives and Vicki spent the day in leisure.

When we first started coming Tuscany, I was sure it would be awash in tourists and tourist traps. For us it is far from that. Yes, if you go to the places in the guide books you may be trampled by tourists. But again, just step off the beaten track, and you will be in the real Tuscany. No guide book says Monte San Savino is a must see place, thus making it and many, many more little towns just great places to be, if you can entertain yourself.

This is how I will be entertaining myself for the next 14 days. If it rains, I get the day off.

 My olive boss Manuela and my supervisor Spotty.

TURKEY TO ITALY

Oct 22

The plan had been to travel to Italy by ferry through Greece, but due to time constraints, we decided to fly.  We bought a real ticket from Bodrum to Istanbul, $50 and a meal, and then intended to fly on Alitalia to Rome on an airline pass. The first part worked out fine, but the Rome leg presented a few problems. Alitalia said we had to book two days in advance and would not waver on that. Ok, your flight is way late anyway, so we will try Turkish Airlines. Our first attempt at Turkish was a "no". It was looking like it might be a ferry ride after all. The "no" person did send us to some one else. The next person, at the "standby desk", did not bat an eye and gave us tickets with seat assignments 2 hours before the flight was to leave. Seat assignments seems a normal thing to non-airline people, but for us free loaders, it is a rare thing to get a seat assignment that far in advance. It pretty much means you will get on the flight. Thank you Turkish Airlines and again the kind Turkish people. (Two hour flight, free booze, and a choice of entrees. Beat that, USAir.)

Not relevant to the story, but I do have to make a comment about Rome Funcianno Airport. It is the most un-user friendly airport with the most unfriendly personnal I have ever been to. That is probably why I try to avoid it. Ok, got that off my chest - lets move on.

GOODBYE TURKEY

Oct 22

TURKEY

WOW!  What a country! I have visited and lived in many countries and this is one of the most fascinating I have been to.  If you are a history buff, there is so much history, it will make your head spin. I am not a big history buff and my head is spinning. How can it not when there is history going back thousands and thousands of years. It is home to the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, the silk road, ancient wonders of the world and much much more. And it is all there for you to see and touch.

It is a big country that we only saw a small portion of,  but more than most tourists. From the Black, Mediterranean, and Aegean seas, to the high mountains and plains. There is something here for everyone. With most of the country in the modern world, there is still a lot from the past in real life today. People doing things just like they have for centuries.

 This lady is making grape syrup. 

 When these students saw us taking pictures and talking to the elderly lady and her friends they came over to take pictures.  They begged Vicki to be in the picture.

But, by far, their biggest asset is their people. I have found people all over the world to be kind and helpful. But in Turkey, they take it to another level. In most countries if you ask for help, people will do their best to help. The difference in Turkey is, you do not even have to ask. Many times we were confused about something, like buying tickets for the ferry in Istanbul, and people would walk up and ask to help. They would patiently show us how to do whatever we were doing or explain something that we were curious about. If there was a line involved the people behind us, usually, would wait patiently for us to accomplish whatever it was we were doing. Many people gave us a gift if we stopped to visit them. From the restaurant owner who gave us free coffee and internet to the shepards, almost all gave us something to take away.

 Home of the shepard and his wife and their gift of an egg from their chicken

I encourage you, if you have ever had any desire to visit Turkey, do so now!

Thank you Turkey.

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Notes

1. The tourist information is correct. Fly from point to point and rent a car at your destination. Tickets are cheap and flying saves you a lot of time.  Unless you are wanderers like us.

2. About those drivers. The tourist information is correct. They have an excess of stupid drivers. We did not notice it much at first. I have spent a lot a of time in countries where the guy driving the donkey today is a bus driver tomorrow and I take a lot of this for granted and don't even think about it. If you have never had that experience then you will be using a lot of "expletives deleted" language as you drive around.  We really noticed it in the Bodrum area. Passing in a no- passing area against oncoming traffic, the driver expects, since he is so stupid, you will get out of his way and as soon as he gets around he will slam on brakes and turn right.  Signs and stop lights are something left by those Ottoman people and they do not understand them. Just be forewarned, it can be exciting out there. This does not mean everyone drives with a death wish, but enough that you will notice.

 It is hard to capture pictures that tell the story of bad drivers on the road. Fortunateley, this gentleman supplied us with the photo in a parking lot. The lot was just about empty but he chose to park right next to this scooter. His friend stood and shook his head as the driver tried to squeeze out the door that he could barely open.

3. It has been a while since I visited a country that is predominately Muslim. So, when you pick your overnight facility, if you can, make it away from the Mosque. No matter where you are, you will hear the call to prayer at 5 AM, you just don't want the speakers outside your window.

Especially if you are a Princess and demand your sleep.