AT THE FRANTOIO - 2009

I didn't think we were going to visit a frantoio this year.  Art helped Giacomo haul his olives to the frantoio, but didn't stick around for the actual pressing, and I didn't even go along.  Our favorite frantoio in Pigge didn't have enough oil to sell this year, and it was rainy on the "Frantoi Aperti" weekend.  Luckily our friends Larry and Shelly arrived back in Italy to harvest their olives, and invited us along to watch them turn into oil!  There were ten of us, so it was a party, especially when the owner of the frantoio brought out the bruschetta, dripping with the new olive oil!  YUM!  Here are some pictures from our visit to the La Pace Frantoio in Massa Martana, not far from Todi.

























Two Franciscan priests stopped by....








And FINALLY Larry and Shelly's oil started pouring from the spout!  They had a record amount - 70 liters!

















And the leftovers…..

MARSCIANO - OLIO, VINO E TERRECOTTE

Another weekend, another festa! Really there are many, many choices each weekend, but when there’s a festa right down the road, why go any further? So we visited Marsciano for their “Olio, Vino e Terrecotte” celebration last weekend. We didn’t visit the terracotta museum, but concentrated on - what else? – the food! Olive oil, wine, sausages and more.






























There are more photos on our FLICKR PAGE, in the folder entitled “Marsciano - Olio, Vino e Terrecotte”.

MORE OLIVES, MORE OIL

We'll be helping friends harvest their olives this weekend - and I can't tell you how happy we are with the wonderful weather we're having! Picking olives in a coat and gloves isn't near as much fun as being able to do it on a beautiful, sunny day with mild temperatures!

The olives seem to be hit and miss this year - friends near San Venanzo had every tree filled with olives, and others have had practically NO olives at all. I'm hoping this weekend will yield lots of olives - meaning lots of new oil!

A GUEST POST! TINA AND THE NEW OIL

A lot of blogs feature guest bloggers from time to time, and today I'm joining the club!  Our friend Tina, who's from Seattle, but whose heart is torn between Argentina and Italy, writes about her passion for olive oil.  Tina has recently returned 'home' to Italy and is currently based in Perugia.  Here's what she has to say about olive oil: 

New Olive Oil in Italy

One of my favorite things about living in Italy is that I am close to the source of my favorite food: olive oil. If you follow expat bloggers in Italy on a regular basis, then you've probably been reading a lot about this year’s new olive oil. Autumn has arrived, and it's the time of year when olives are harvested and pressed into gorgeous green oil, and towns all over hold various festivals as an excuse to partake of this heavenly substance.

This may not seem like a big deal to some, but to me it is very important. After spending all that time in Argentina where the olive oil lacked the flavor I was looking for, I’m in paradise right now.

Recently I went with a friend to “Festivol” in Trevi, which celebrated this year’s new olive oil from producers in the area. The area around Trevi is said to have the best olive oil, so I feel fortunate to live within a reasonable distance.

The rain was coming down in sheets the day we went, so we didn't do much exploring outside. Luckily a lot of tastings were set up indoors. I happily flitted from table to table, enjoying the green spiciness of Trevi's olive oil with toasted pieces of bread. I was impressed with how green some of the oils were - to the point of being electric. It’s really too bad it was raining, as I'm sure there would have been a lot of interesting tastings set up outdoors too.

After we’d had enough, and after stuffing ourselves with roasted chestnuts, we paid a visit to Trampetti, an olive oil producer quite well-known in Seattle, my hometown. I just had to go straight to the source - especially considering how expensive their oil can be when you're buying it in the United States, imported. We were greeted warmly by Federico, who showed us around the frantoio and let us taste some exquisite oil. I couldn’t let myself leave without buying a bottle. Good stuff.

My local supermarket is now filled with new olive oil. Giant bottles, small bottles. Everybody is buying olive oil – and if they’re not buying it, it’s because they have olive trees or friends with olive trees. At couple of restaurants I've been to lately, I've seen a bottle of new olive oil on every table. Recently, a friend gave me two bottles of new olive oil from another local producer as a gift. Olive oil everywhere!

I feel so fortunate to live so close to the source. No matter how much you appreciate a particular product, as soon as you see for yourself where it comes from and how it is made, your appreciation only grows. And in my case, it has turned into an addiction.

-Tina Ferrari is a translator, writer and tango dancer based in Perugia, Italy. She writes at AffordableCallingCards.net, where you can buy affordable prepaid phone cards for calling Italy, as well as on her own blog, TINA TANGOS. Comments are always welcome!

A TASTE OF AUTUMN - ITALIAN STYLE

On Saturday evening the Pro Loco San Venanzo presented "Olio, Vino e Castagne...I NOVELLI D'AUTUNNO", and evening of education, food and fun. The educational part consisted of a talk about olives and olive oil, along with a tasting of the new oil. Needless to say, I was excited about this part of the program, and quite disappointed to discover that only a select few would actually be tasting the oil! Additionally, the man giving the presentation had the most monotone voice and it was very, very difficult not only to understand him, but also just to hear him. Okay, so I probably wouldn't have understood much of the talk anyway, but it was still disappointing.

When the discussion was over the real fun began: the food! Bruschetta with the new oil of the two producers from San Venanzo, "Tenuta Colli Verdi" and "Zaffera e Farnesi" was available, as well as the new Merlot, supplied by "Tenuta Colli Verdi". There we also pieces of a wonderful bread,, sort of like focaccia, but with small pieces of ham baked into it. This was really, really yummy!

After the bruschetta and focaccia was devoured, the soup with farro and vegetables was served, and it was light and tasty. Next came steaming bowls of spaghetti, and as always, we marvel at how perfectly everthing is cooked, even for such a large crowd. There were quite a few large bags of chestnuts sitting around, and given the name of the festa, I assume that these would be roasted and served as dessert. Since neither of us care for chestnuts (castagne), we skipped this part altogether.

The entertainment - and what would an Italian evening be without entertainment and a little dancing? - was provided by our favorite hometown band, the Erika Mastrini Band.

During the lecture about olives I gave up trying to hear what was being said and took a few pictures of the food preparations. The bruschetta was being prepared - first the bread is toasted, then it's rubbed with garlic...



then it's drizzled with oil....









then finished with just a sprinkling of salt....









And here's the bruschetta (pronounced bru SKET ta)



As I said earlier, we don't care for chestnuts, and normally the new wine doesn't hold much appeal, but the Merlot Ricardo served was really good! For us though the star of the evening was the new oil - don't you just love that intense green color?




Just getting TO the food proved to be a challenge.  Making any sort of orderly line is just a concept unknown to most Italians, and it was just a matter of working your way through the crowd...





and Gilberto sums it up best of all - Salute!

CELBRATING THE NEW OLIVE OIL

Finalmente! The new olive oil is ready, frangrant and spicy, needing only a piece of toasted bread and a little salt to enjoy it at it's best. This weekend, November 7th and 8th, is the official Frantoi Aperti

when many frantoi (olive mills) will open their doors to the public, not only to buy the new oil, but also to see how it's made and maybe enjoy a few tastry treats as well.

Trevi, which calls itself the "city of oil" will once again host it's own very special celebration for the frantoi aperti. Click on the link to see what's planned: city tours, concerts, food and a local market among other things. I think I'll pass on the donkey rides, but everything else sounds pretty cool! Hopefully I'll also be able to buy some fresh pumpkin for cooking, and maybe some more of Trevi's famous black celery. It's going to be a delicious weekend!

New this year, the fun of the Frantoi Aperti will continue for FIVE weekends, from November 7/8 through December 5/6. More details on the Frantoi Aperti website.

WE'LL BE BACK SOON!

We'll be picking olives for the next few days - and this years harvest looks unbelieveable! Last year a lot of the olives had fallen by the time we harvested, but this year the trees are loaded, and nothing has fallen to the ground. I'm predicting a bumper crop! While we're gone, here's a slideshow of the raccolta from 2007...

OLIVE OIL AT WILLIAMS SONOMA!

Olive Oil Williams-Sonoma, originally uploaded by artnbarb.

While visiting the Louisivlle Williams-Sonoma store I found this olive oil in a cute ceramic container made in Citta di Castello!

As usual, many of the olive oils in Williams-Sonoma were WAAAAY out of date! The two bottles I looked at, one from Lungarotti and another from Umbria both proudly proclaimed that they were from 2006!!!! There was some new Tuscan oil from November 2008 on the shelf, so I steered the two women who struck up a cons\versation with me to the newer oil.

I did mention my concerns to the store manager, who of course had no idea that olive oil should be consumed within 18 months of pressing. You might recall that I wrote about this same problem back in June of 2007 when I wrote to both the regional WS manager and to Chuck Williams himself, but I never even had the courtesy of a reply. Apparently selling outdated oil for premium prices is okay with Williams-Sonoma,

If you really want a great oil at a bargain price check out the Kirkland oil at Costco! It's a spicy Tuscan oil pressed in Novemeber 2008 and at $12 for a full liter it has to be the best bargain around! and yes, when it comes to olive oil, I'm pretty demanding!

SEE HOW OLIVE OIL IS MADE!

On Wednesday I posted the first video in this series, and now you'll see the rest of the process in more detail. The crushed olives are stirred then extruded onto fiber mats which are stacked one on top of the other until...




.....the stack of mats covered with olive paste is rolled over to the press




and the mats are compressed to release the oil.




AFter the wheels crush the olives and the mats are squeezed together, the oil and water are separated and the finished product is ready!

PRESSING OLIVES 2009

From our favorite frantoio just outside of Trevi. Here you can actually see every step in the process, beginning with the giant stone wheels crushing the olives. Next the olive paste is spread onto mats which are stacked up then squeezed together, forcing out the oil. A centrifuge then separates the water from the oil, it's that simple!

WE'RE PICKING OLIVES, AND LATER.....

Right now we're out picking olives with our friends, but here's a quick video of the process from our favorite little frantoio in Pigge....

THE NEW OIL 2008

Last week we visited the CIPOLLONI frantoio to sample the new oil. CIPOLLONI is located outside of Foligno, and initially I was worried that their oil wouldn't be the spicy mix of moraiolo and other olives we like so much. The man who was our guide immediately put my mind at ease by telling me they used 80-90% moraiolo, so I knew we'd like their oil!

Although we've seen the process many times before, it's still fun to see the olives go in one end of the building and eventually come out as oil at the other! This oil was so green....and delicious!




More pictures on OUR FLICKR PAGE.

FRANTOI APERTI 2008

Last Sunday was the frantoi aperti, the day when many olive mills invite the public to sample the new oil with bruschetta and other goodies. We started off in Trevi where the piazza was filled with vendors of oil, cheese, fruit, vegetables and other food things to eat. I took the opportunity to buy more celery, and the man told me to use the inner, white stalks of celery as an antipato with the new oil and a little salt. As usual, the simplest things are the most delicious!






As we tasted one of the oils in the piazza a woman walked up and I realized I knew her, or at least knew who she was. I couldn't remember her name, but I asked her "Are you from Philly, and do you have a restaurant in Foligno?" When she answered "Yes", I introduced myself and told her that I read her personal BLOG as well as the one she writes for her restaurant in FOLIGNO. The restaurant is called BASILIKO, and I'm hoping to check it out soon.

I also have Jennifer marked as a contact on my FLICKR PAGE. Whenever one of my contacts posts new pictures the thumbnails are posted on my Flickr homepage. Imagine my surprise I saw Halloween pictures of Salvatore, the chef who's restaurant we'd visited the night before! (Salvatore's restaurant is also in Foligno, and believe me when I say that experience will take a post all it's own!)
Jennifer told me she used to work for Salvatore, so the world just gets smaller and smaller!

At one of the frantoi, GAUDENZI, we found this ceramic olive oil container, complete with matching saucer and pitcher for catching all the spills. I'm still considering going back to buy this, but I have to figure out where I could put it. It's so beautiful it needs to be on display, but it also needs to be in a place where it won't be bumped. What do you think....should I buy it? The complete set is €120....quite a splurge for me, but I just keep thinking about it......

We ended up driving to three frantoi rather than waiting for the bus, and in addition to new oil we also bought some of the olive liqueur that Wendy and Art like so much. Loaded with fresh veggies, some cheese, new oil and some spirits we headed home via the scenic route, enjoying the beautiful fall day.

MORE GOOD NEWS ABOUT OLIVE OIL

Several weeks ago I was contacted by someone who wanted permission to use this photo of mine for an article about olive oil.

Of course I was curious about THE ARTICLE itself, so I checked it out. I'm a fanatic about olive oil, and most everyone knows about the benefits of a Mediterrean diet, but this article was about something I hadn't heard before: Olive oil can make you feel full longer, therefore helping with weight loss. Click on the link above and read all about it! Don't you just love it when something you love turns out to be good for you?!

IF YOU'RE IN UMBRIA THIS FALL....

Two of our favorite events in Umbria happen in the fall, and if you're here in Late October or early November you should definitely try to make time for one or both events. Of course you know at the top of my list is EUROCHOCOLATE. This year it runs from October 18th through October 26th. This will be our fifth consecutive year for Eurochocolate and I can tell you that it has grown at an alarming rate during that short time. The last time we were there on a weekend Corso Vannucci in Perugia was wall to wall people, and it was a struggle to get near any of the chocolate vendors, so I'd recommend a weekday visit if you can. Don't expect any free samples be cause they seem to be pretty stingy in Perugia, but I guess most of us who attend such festivals already know what we like.

Coming up just a week after Eurochocolate ends is the annual tasting of the new olive oil at the FRANTOI APERTI. As of this writing, just four weeks from the November 1-2 dates, the website still shows last years' information, but eventually current details will be posted. Last year I wrote about the five different zones Umbria has for it's olive oil and how the oil differs from zone to zone. You can read about it HERE. Because we know we like the spicy oil from the area around TREVI, that's where you'll find us this year too, and I'm hoping the be able to buy some of that yummy black celery that Trevi is famous for as well. (Clicking on the Trevi link will take you to the details for their events for Frantoi Aperti)

Fall is a wonderful time to visit Umbria. The days are cooler and shorter but the crowds are gone and you can load up your suitcases with plenty of chocolate and new olive oil.....maybe even a bottle or two of wine and you'll be able to pretend you're still in Italy long after the vacation is over! On the other hand, if you buy our house in Umbria, you'll have a home away from home just waiting for you whenever the mood strikes...and I'll personally guarantee you that no matter what time of year you're here, you'll always find plenty of delicious food and wine. How can you possibly resist?

ONION FOCCACIA

We have a love-hate relationship with bread…love to eat, hate all those carbs. Maybe with the new BREAD DIET or even the COOKIE DIET we might have a chance to enjoy our carbs more, but who knows. For now I still love to bake bread… I love the process, and of course how it makes the house smell while it’s baking!

I’ve been holding off on preparing another batch of the new-and-improved-no-knead bread , but yesterday Art requested some focaccia, mainly so we could drizzle some of the new oil on it while it still has a little kick to it. This morning I looked through my cookbooks and collected recipes and found this onion focaccia, adapted from an EMERIL LAGASSE recipe several years ago.

I’d originally thought about covering the top of the bread with onions, but this recipe calls for the grilled onions (mixed with a little chopped garlic) to be incorporated into the dough, so I thought I’d give it a try. Unfortunately I didn’t start the dough until later than planned, so I just assembled the plain dough and set it aside to rise, then I grilled the onions and garlic and added them into the dough after it’s first rise. Needless to say, it turned out fine.

ONION FOCCACIA

2 Tbsp olive oil
2-3 medium red onions, chopped

For the Dough:
1 envelope yeast
1 Tbsp sugar
1 Tbsp minced garlic
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 cup warm water
1 tsp salt
3 ½ cups flour

Sauté the onions in the 2 Tbsp olive oil until caramelized, about 15 minutes, then set aside.

In a large bowl whisk the yeast, sugar, garlic, olive oil, warm water and cooked onions together until the yeast is dissolved. Slowly add the flour and salt, mixing and kneading until the dough is smooth and firm, about 10 minutes.

Grease a bowl with a little olive oil, place the dough in the bowl, and turn to coat with the oil. Cover and let the dough rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 ½ hours.

Brush a 12 X 18 baking sheet with 2 teaspoons of olive oil. Once the dough is doubled, punch it down and press it out on the baking sheet. Lightly cover the dough with plastic wrap and let rest for about an hour.

Preheat the oven to 350º while the dough rests.

Using your fingers, lightly ‘pounce’ the dough, making small dents in it, then drizzle olive oil all over the dough. Sprinkle with coarsely ground salt, pepper and rosemary if desired. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown.

IT'S ALWAYS SOMETHING!

We continue to stay busy, and usually in very unexpected ways. Oh the advantages of being retired! Lunch tomorrow? Sure, why not? Can I stop by for a few days for a visit? Great! Can you help us pick olives this weekend? Glad to! And so it goes….

After finishing with Belinda and Giacomo’s olives, we thought our olive picking season was over….but no! We knew our friends Larry and Shelly would be back for a week or two to host their annual Thanksgiving get together, but we didn’t know if they’d had someone local pick their olives for them, or if the trees would be waiting for them once they arrived. I emailed Shelly to tell her we’d be happy to help and waited for a reply.

Meanwhile, Beverly and Ron, who we met in August at the Rotecastello medieval festa, had emailed to say that they too would be returning to Umbria for a few weeks. We’d never been able to get together during August, so we were determined to make it happen this time. Although we’d only talked to them for a few minutes, they seemed like people we’d like to know better. I told them to email us once they were recovered from their jetlag and we’d take it from there.

Additionally, we had yet another surprise email….from Rhonda, who we’d met at a SlowTrav get together in September. Rhonda, aka Limoncella on the message board, had been traveling throughout Italy since then, and was ready to leave Sicily and head north. Umbria was a good place to stop along the way, and she said she’d arrive on Saturday and leave on Monday. She knew she wanted some local wine and olive oil, so we thought maybe a trip to Montefalco might fill the bill.

Beverly called us with good news and bad news. The good news was they were in Italy safe, sound and recovering from jetlag. The bad news was they had no heat…at least no heat from the radiators, and were relying solely on the fireplace for warmth. Calls to plumbers and other technicians hadn’t yet produced any definite results. We invited them for lunch at our house on Friday, and hoped they’d stay warm enough til then.

When the phone rang early Friday morning we thought “Oh no, it’s Ron and Bev calling to say they can’t come for lunch!” We figured the heating repairs had been set for that morning, and when you don’t have heat and the technician says they’re coming to fix it, you drop all other plans, so we certainly were prepared to understand. Except that it wasn’t Ron OR Beverly…it was Rhonda, saying that she was on the train to Marsciano, and that she’d be arriving at 9 a.m. HUH??? Wait, she’s not supposed to be here until tomorrow, right? Well, we looked at each other, shrugged our shoulders and Art got ready to go pick her up.

And so lunch that day was us with three Canadians in our kitchen. We had a great time getting to know everyone better, and I had a ball listening to their accents….I just love it when they say “aboot” for about!

Ron and Beverly left that afternoon with the WISH for having us to their place for lunch, but with the heating situation still not resolved, Ron was toying with the idea of taking the next flight back to Toronto.

Art had run into Belinda and Giacomo earlier that day when we stopped by the post office, and they’d invited us over for a drink, and to meet Giacomo’s dad, Santi, who was visiting from Sicily. Well, at least Rhonda was getting to meet several of our friends.

On Saturday morning we headed to Montefalco. Trying to accomplish as much as possible in a short time, we figured the drive to Montefalco would give Rhonda a chance to see some wonderful Umbrian scenery, Montefalco itself would give here a chance to see a cute medieval hilltown, and as a bonus she’d also be able so buy some olive oil in 1 liter tins. We like the one liter tins because they’re small enough to squeeze into a tiny space, there’s no worry or breakage, and the tins are much lighter than a bottle. Trouble is, one liter tines aren’t always easy to find, but we were pretty sure we could find them in Montefalco.
Once we arrived in Montefalco we were distracted by a few other shops along the walk up into the centro, but eventually we arrived and headed straight for our favorite enoteca. Yes, they had olive oil in one liter tins, but it was all last year’s oil! Boo! The proprietor told us the new oil would arrive within a few days, but of course Rhonda didn’t have a few days. We checked with another shop but found the same situation. And then Art had an idea….

When Shelly called to take us up on our offer to pick olives and learned we were going to Montefalco, she asked us to stop at the local hardware store and pick up several one liter tins. We’d done that when we first arrived in town, but now Art suggested that Rhonda buy another tin or two and that we have them filled at our local frantoio. Great idea!

Our plan was to have some lunch, return to San Venanzo, then later drive over to the frantoio. We weren’t 100% sure that the frantoio was still open for the season, but it seemed likely. Just to be safe though, we decided to watch for any signs along the road announcing ‘new oil’. As luck would have it, there WAS a sign…and it was just seconds outside of Montefalco’s walls! I’d forgotten about this frantoio since we hadn’t visited it previously, but we pulled in and smelled the wonderful fragrance of olives/olive oil as soon as we opened the car doors.

Once inside the small frantoio we asked about having Rhonda’s tins filled, and were happily accommodated. The tins were wrapped in plastic and taped up so there was no danger of leakage, and we were on our way. Mission accomplished!

Of course lunch would be at our favorite pizzeria in Marsciano, Nestor's. We hadn’t been there in several weeks, and Belinda and Giacomo told us Giuseppe and Mara had been asking about us. We were only too happy to say hello in person! We ordered pizzas from the oven and were entertained by six year old Annalaura, who was anxious to show off her artwork….Babbo Natale!

After lunch we returned to San Venanzo, and later Art would walk with Rhonda down to our local grocery store to buy a few small (375 ml) bottles of 1997 Brunello for an incredible €15 each!

Sunday morning was partly cloudy, and definitely colder than the previous olive-picking weekend. We bundled up and headed south towards Massa Martana to pick olives. As expected, some trees were loaded while other contained only a handful of olives. We made quite a bit of progress, and later, when neighbors stopped by, they pitched in too! What could be more Italian than picking olives with a cigaret in your mouth? Well, I guess he could have been talking on his cell phone, but that might have been pushing it!

Once we lost the daylight…damn I hate that it’s dark by 5 p.m!...we warmed ourselves at the fireplace with a glass of wine, then went to meet friends for pizza. The neighbors came, kids in tow, and twelve of us enjoyed the meal and the company.

On Monday morning we took Rhonda to the train station to catch a train for Venice. We got to the station in plenty of time, but needn’t have worried; the train was about five minutes late. We piled all of Rhonda’s belongs on board and she settled in. We waited for the train to depart so we could cross the tracks and return to our car. And waited……..and waited. Conductors conferred. People stuck their heads out the window. Calls were made. Most of the other people on the platform eventually walked around the front of the train to cross over and go back to the station and/or their car. We didn’t want to leave Rhonda stranded, just in case, so we waited.

At first we thought we were waiting for another train to arrive, but eventually it was discovered that there was a problem with the switching device, and workmen had to manually switch the track. After about a thirty minute delay, the train finally left the station, and we hoped Rhonda would make her connection in Florence. We told her to check with the conductor on board about connection times, and reminded her that she might be entitled to a refund if the more expensive train she’d paid for had already left the station. Rhonda’s been traveling since September, so we were confident she could handle the situation.

Back home the house was quiet, but not in a bad way. Now it was time to relax, do some laundry, maybe have some of that new oil on freshly toasted bread for lunch.......and wait to see what tomorrow would bring.

WATCH "OUR" OLIVES TURN INTO OIL!

PICKING OLIVES 2007

We helped Belinda and Giacomo pick their olives last weekend. We should have picked them a few weeks earlier, but events conspired against us, so we picked them as soon as we could. Most yields are down this year due the dry weather we had last winter. For Giacomo and Belinda this problem was compounded by the fact that many of their older trees were moved last spring to make way for a new building project. Although all the moved trees seem to have survived the process, as you might expect they didn’t produce much (if any) fruit this year. On the good side, the younger trees produced exceptionally well, but of course still didn’t equal what an older larger tree would have. Additionally, I would expect that last year’s bumper crop might be followed by a lean year. In the in we ended up with half the olives we had last year.

We had beautiful weather for picking the olives…always a blessing. With shorter days and cooler temperatures, having a sunny day makes all the difference in the world. As we picked we could hear the neighbors in the next field talking and laughing as they too finished up their raccolta (olive harvest).

Giacomo had to make a quick trip to Amsterdam to see his children, so on Monday we helped Belinda load the car with our six crates of olives and take them to our local frantoio near Collelungo. Once there the crates were sent upstairs on a conveyor belt where they were weighed and transferred to large wooden trays. This is the process used for those who don’t have enough olives for their own pressing. These small groups will eventually be combined and pressed together, with each person getting their percentage.

I don’t know how many olives (by weight) are needed to have your own press. Last year the twelve crates we had were enough, but the six crates this year were not. Additionally you must make an appointment to have your olives pressed, and when you make the appointment you must estimate how many olives you’ll be bringing in order to help estimate how long each pressing will take.

Once the olives were weighed, trayed and labeled, we went into the office to see when they could be pressed. The rather impatient woman in the office told Belinda that her olives could be pressed “maybe on Friday”. Since many of the olives were VERY ripe, we all knew that they should be pressed as soon as possible. The woman insisted to Belinda that this was impossible! Impossible! But of course this is Italy, and nothing is impossible, you simply have to find a way around the problem.

Belinda asked if any of her neighbors had pressings scheduled. Alberto had an appointment on Friday, but another neighbor, Daniele, had an appointment on Tuesday afternoon. Could we possibly combine our olives with his? The woman at the mill said as long as Daniele agreed, it would be fine with them. We left for home, and Belinda called Daniele to see if she’d let her add her small harvest with his. Daniele, a friendly, smiling, guy told Belinda of course she could add her olives to his, so we arranged to meet on Tuesday afternoon.

Once we arrived at the frantoio none of us were surprised to find out that they were running behind. You’d think after years of doing this that both the frantoio and the farmers would have figured out a better system, but for some reason people seem to underestimate their yield, meaning that their press takes longer than expected…and throwing the schedule completely off.

We took the opportunity to drive Belinda into Ripavella, just down the road. Our friend Wendy has a lovely house listed there, and Belinda and Giacomo have a client who’s searching for the perfect property. We hoped we’d be able to help all our friends do some business and make some money. We’d seen the property just outside of Ripavella about a year ago with some friends from Poland. The house is beautiful and the land has over 300 olive trees. The clincher for us was the pool, with it’s amazing view of Montecastello di Vibio.

We then drove into Ripavella, a tiny little place, to have a coffee. I think Ripavella has one bar and one tiny grocery store, and because it was barely 3 o’clock, we weren’t sure if the bar would be open. Normally bars do stay open during the afternoon, but in such a tiny village things might be different.

Luckily we’d been here before and knew that the bar was around the back of one of the buildings. As we walked down the hill we saw a woman on the balcony above and asked if the bar was open. “Certamente!” she said, but when we tried the door it was locked. She told us to wait, and just then a man came around the corner to unlock the door. Art and Belinda ordered coffee, I had a bottle of water, and we sat at the table chatting.

Belinda asked the man behind the bar a question, and of course he could tell that none of us were Italian. He told us that an American couple had bought an apartment in Ripavella, but that they didn’t live there fulltime. Another man entered the bar and he too joined in our conversation about the many ‘stranieri’ (foreigners) in the area. He told us that his cousin had been married to an American, and I immediately said “Frank!” “Yes”, he said in English!, “my cousin was married to Frank.”

Of course that led to a conversation about our friend Frank, who died last November. Although he had continuing heart problems, Frank continued to smoke, and eventually his heart gave out. It wasn't surprising to find a relative of his in this area...Frank's wife was bron in Ripavella and most of her family lives in San Venanzo.

We decided we’d better get back to the frantoio to see if Daniele had arrived, and if by chance they might be ready to begin pressing our olives. When we arrived we saw that Daniele had arrived with his cousin, and they were getting ready to empty their crates into the huge hopper. Belinda’s olives were dumped down a chute, and the olives gradually began their journey into the frantoio. Out of the hopper they sent via a short conveyor belt and were sucked into a long tube. This tube took the olives to the inside of the building where they were washed, and where many of the larger leaves and stems were separated. After this they were sent to large stainless steel vats were they were crushed into a red looking mush. As you can see in the slide who, one of the vats was overfilled, and the mash (and eventually it’s oil) oozed out.

The olives filled up four of these vats…well, three and a half… and they churned away in the vats while the olives of the person before us were processed. Once it was our turn the valve was opened and Daniele and Belinda’s olives began the final step. The liquid was extracted and the semi-solid waste was removed. A centrifuge separated the water from the oil, and eventually the oil began to flow! We all ran a finger through the stream of oil to have our first taste! The oil was thick and silky, but with a nice spicy taste.

The oil was then sent via a tube to the lower level where it collected in a large tub. The residual scum was skimmed off the top, then a pump was hooked up to send the oil to the containers. Each container was set on the scale and weighed before it was filled so that the weight of the oil could be determined.

We knew that Belinda’s olives weighed 117 kilos, about 10% of the total. Last year’s olives had yielded about 14% oil, and of course we were all curious to see what this year’s yield would be. Belinda thought she’d be lucky to get ten liters, but once the numbers were crunched the yield was 17.7%, and Belinda’s share was 22 liters….probably enough to last them the whole year.

It was around seven o’clock by the time we left the frantoio, and we stopped at the store on the way home to buy some bread for bruschetta. I opened some cannellini beans too….another perfect food for drizzling the new oil! Of course it was delicious, and knowing that we’d all worked hard for this oil made it taste even better. The three of us toasted the new oil, and enjoyed a well-earned dinner at last.

Here’s a slideshow of the process….

TASTING THE NEW OIL

Last year we missed the FRANTOI APERTI, and I was so glad we’d be here this year to taste the new oil. The first year we were here we visited frantoi all over Umbria, but now that we’re a bit more educated we concentrate on the area around Trevi, since that particular area has the spiciest, strongest oil…the kind we like.

Umbria is divided into five zones with regards to olive oil. Just as wine is now certified by DOC or DOCG labeling, so is olive oil. DOP means ‘Denominazione d’Origine Protetta”, meaning that the olives are certified to be from the specified area, and in the specified proportions. Each zone has different specifications for it’s oil, and in the Colli Assisi-Spoleto area where Trevi is located, the specifications for the oil are as follows: 60% (minimum) Moraiolo Olives, 30% (maximum) Leccino and Frantoio varities, and no more than 10% of other varieties. Other areas use different percentages of each olive variety, and even if you don’t know that Moraiolo are the spicy olives, a helpful guide on the FRANTOI APERTI site will tell you not only the blend of olives, but also whether the oil is spicy (piccante), strong (forte), fruity, (fruttato) bitter (amaro), etc :

The FRANTOI APERTI website, a wealth of too much information, eventually revealed what I really wanted: the program for the weekend, complete in two pdf downloads. At last, a map of the participating frantoi! I could now begin to plot our day, to decide where we’d first taste the new oil.

I was so busy that I really didn’t look at much of the other info, but luckily Art did. By digging through all the information Art discovered that both Spoleto and Trevi were offering shuttle busses to the various frantoi, and each city appeared to be hosting other activities too….finally, we see people learning how to market their products! Because Trevi was closer, and because there were several olive mills in that area, we decided to drive to Trevi to check it out.

Trevi, a charming medieval hilltown south of Umbria calls itself the “City of Oil”. It’s surrounded literally by hundreds, maybe thousands, of olive trees that create a silvery green backdrop. We arrived around 11 a.m. and checked with someone working at the information booth. She told us the shuttle bus would leave around 12:30 and that it would be waiting right where we were standing. We grabbed some of the brochures and set out to explore.

We had a chance to admire the antique cars on display (see my previous post), visit a frantoio within walking distance of the centro, and see what was happening in the main piazza. Trevi is also known for it’s ‘black’ celery, which explained why we kept seeing people with bags containing HUGE stalks of celery. Once we reached the main piazza we saw crate after crate of celery, plenty of winter vegetables, sausages, cheese, and of course, the star of the day….lots and lots of olive oil.

We tasted several different oils and decided that we really liked the oil from the Gaudenzi Frantoio, and yes! they had it in 3 liter tins! We’d decided to take some back to the states with us in December, and thought that a 3 liter tin made more sense than a 5 liter tin. With luggage weight restrictions being what they are, every pound (or should I say chilo?) counts.

Also in the piazza was a huge grill for toasting bread. We lined up with everyone else who was waiting for the next batch of bruschetta! Once again the simplest of ingredients combine to make such a perfect treat….bread, garlic, olive oil and salt....YUMMMMM!

We bought the oil and took it to the car just as the shuttle bus was pulling up. It held about twenty people so we got on board and waited for the driver to return. Once we left the centro we drove slowly back down the hillside, past places we remembered from previous years, to our first stop….and we were a little surprised to see that it was FRANTOIO GAUDENZI ….the oil we’d just bought in the centro. Well, at least we wouldn’t have to lug the oil back with us. Once inside the fairly new building (they were just completing it when we were there in 2003) everyone was given the chance to see the modern equipment used to produce the oil and to listen to a short talk.

Back on the bus after about twenty minutes we made our way to our second stop….the COOPERATIVA di TREVI . The oil here wasn’t as spicy as the previous frantoio, so I took the opportunity to look around the display area where they sell not just oil, but fresh meats, sausages, pasta, beans, and…surprise surprise! Olive liqueur!

We first saw this olive liqueur way back in December of 2003 at a Christmas exposition in Bastia. Luckily they were offering samples, and once Art tried it he couldn’t resist. Our friend Wendy was quite taken with it as well, and she bought several bottles as gifts that year. Unfortunately we haven’t been able to find it since!

As soon as I saw the distinctive bottle of olive liqueur I called out to Art, then reached for my cell phone to give Wendy a call. Naturally the price had gone up since we first bought it four years ago, but still, €20 for such a unique taste of Umbria seemed money well spent. When we took our bottles to the checkout desk the girl overheard us talking and told us that it was nearly impossible to find…and we told her yes, we knew that only too well.

Okay, onward to the next frantoio! This one turned out to be one we’d searched for before but never found. I think it must have been at the end of the day, and when we didn’t find it right off the bat we just said the heck with it and gave up. Now the area’s a bit more developed and I think the signs are better, and we found ourselves at the last stop of the day, "IL FRANTOIO", where we would taste olive oil in ways we never imagined!

All the pictures from our day of oil tasting are available on our FLICKR PAGE .

THE NEW OLIVE OIL IS HERE! THE NEW OLIVE OIL IS HERE!

Lack of rain last winter, combined with a hot dry summer has resulted in smaller and fewer olives this year. Just as the grapes were harvested earlier this year, so seems to be the case with the olives. A friend recently had some of the new oil in Spoleto, and was pleasantly surprised. She said the oil was a beautiful deep green, and had an intense fragrance and taste...just the way we like it!

The FRANTOI APERTI is scheduled this year for November 3/4. Clicking on the link will take you to all the information you need...names and maps to the various olive mills, as well as information about other events related to the new oil.

We like the oil from the Colli Assisi Spoleto area because it seems to be the oil with the most 'bite'. Each area seems to use just a slightly different blend of olive varieties, and visiting each frantoi is a wonderful way to sample many different types. Let the tastings begin!