Olives, another fruit of Italy. Although I've heard they taste terrible right from the tree they are certainly delicious in a martini.
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Olive Harvest 8x10 oil
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On the property of Poggio Etrusco it was harvest time for one of my favorite fruits. They first lay large tarps under the trees and then with a long rake like electric tool they reach into the branches and shake them down.
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The Harvest begins
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Then it's off to the press. We visited Frantoio La Macina, a nearby olive press to see the action. It was a busy operation and loud too. But the green gold at the end was worth seeing.
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Various olive from the region
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The journey it takes
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A batch of extra virgin
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Tasting Room in the Gift Shop
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Back at the lodgings we continued with a tasting and learned about the process some more. In addition we were also informed about Balsamic Vinegar. Another delicious cooking class for the day with Pamela and Johnny introducing us to the Italian Pantry. I've already tried to reproduce her Olive Oil Cake recipe twice and it turned out pretty good. Of course nothing like hers and tasting it for the first time. As they say it's all about the ingredients and I'm find it hard to get a good olive oil here in the states.
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Tasting Olive Oil
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Tasting Balsamic Vinegar
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If you're interested their organic olive oil is available to purchase. Below is information from Pamela.
In
spite of some challenging weather, we have had a very good crop, and
are proud to share our newly extracted organic extra-virgin olive oil
with you. The oil is delicious, packed with the peppery bite we love so
much. Our lab analysis came back with super low acidity and high count
of polyphenols (great for the anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant
effects).
An order form is attached.
The price list is at our website www.Poggio-Etrusco.com
But, wait....
Did you notice I called my oil "extracted" instead of "cold pressed"...
Cold
pressed is a term for the way we used to make olive oil (grinding on a
millstone and pressing the pulp). It was important in that time as the
best quality was the first pressing of the olives that was never treated
with heat... so the features we looked for were "cold pressed" and/or
"first press." Subsequent pressings were lesser quality, and at a
certain point more oil was achieved by applying heat. If you see those
terms nowadays, it is a marketing tool that is not relevant.
Today,
in search of better quality, most mills use an extraction method, no
grinding or pressing. We're after low-acidity oil (means more
polyphenols that are good for us: anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory). Even
the grinding mill of the past was a negative as the friction of the
heavy stones created heat, and the 30 minutes+ on the stone enhanced
oxidation and acidity went up.
Now,
the olives are macerated in a stainless steel tube and centrifuged to
separate pulp and liquid; then centrifuged again to separate oil and
vegetable water (Readers' Digest version). We don't filter, either, as
that removes the beneficial polyphenols.
The
best oil is Extra-Virgin, and I also add Organic to that. To call it
Extra-Virgin, European EV must be below .8% acidity. When we test ours
at the time of extraction, it is usually .1 to .2 percent. Very fresh
and clean.
Organic
is important because we have strict controls and rules that others
don't. For example, we tell you precisely where the olives were grown
and harvested, where they were milled, and where they were bottled. We
also tell you the harvest date, as the 'best if used by' date can
sometimes be misleading.
We are certified organic by ICEA in Italy and also by the USDA
Although this is the last blog about my trip to Tuscany, it won't be the last of my paintings inspired by my trip. Watch for details a bout my Oct. 2025 show at Elmaro
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