THE PASSION FOR OLIVES
Pierle is a very small village in Tuscany, 18 kilometres from Cortona, but only one from Umbria
There is a serenity to olive picking in Pierle, with the 13th century castle staring at you, silence all around except for the birds.
Harvesting usually begins in mid to late October, early November, after Domenico has cut the grass, with his tractor, and my brushcutter has finished off the banks.
We have 30 olive trees, mostly set in rows of three. The biggest trees are the first two above the left bank, which are the most productive producing over thirty kilos of olives.
My equipment is stored in ‘Grandad’s shed’. Multiple green nets, several electric pickers and sticks underneath the shed.
The pickers are powered by my car battery which I drive on to the field.
Prior to picking nets are carefully laid around a tree, with upright sticks holding up the net edges to prevent olives escaping!
Then the fun starts!
My wife and I alternate using the electric picker. It’s very fast. Hand picking is much slower and is an art. Climbing a ladder to reach high-up olives. Stroking the olives down from the branches. Trying to reach that last olive.
Having picked the olives, it’s then carefully folding the nets to capture the olives into a corner and rolling them into a crate. Full crates get stacked in the shed until olive picking is finished.
It’s a tiring, manual process taking about a week. Euphoria when you finish. Nets are neatly folded and packed away for next year. Time to enjoy our holiday. Not quite.
Production varies. Sometimes as few as 6 crates. or in a bumper year 25. But what will be the quality of the olive oil. That’s is a mystery. Villagers say lower production, less water in the olives results in better quality oil. I’m just happy to have any oil!
It’s extra virgin olive oil. No chemicals. Nothing.
With Mario’s help, ex-baker at ‘Dolce Forno in Mercatale, the crates are transported over the hills to our mill below Cortona, for production into extra virgin olive oil.
Some years the mill is chaos, when production is so high. Vans, cars everywhere. Farmers unstacking their prized olives. Our smaller crates are emptied into larger crates, which can be moved , then stacked on top of each other by Paolo’s forklift.
Then the wait…Paolo tells you when to come back. Often the following day. It’s like an appointment at the doctor.
Olive oil process is simple or not. Crates weighed as you pay for the net weight. Leaves and twigs removed, olives washed as they roll up to the ‘masher’ where they are turned into a slimy mess.
Through other machinery before the beautiful oil flows into a steel sink.
The sink tap is opened. Your olive oil flows into special steel containers, taking 25or 50 litres or any size above or below. Containers weighed and there you have it. Extra virgin olive oil. Prized throughout the world for it’s quality.
Mishaps do happen!
Back in 2017, i jumped off the ladder, expecting to land on soft ground. Nope. The ground was very hard, resulting in a broken ankle. After 3 days, of taking pain killers, I sent my sister holidaying in Cuba, a UK doctor, a photo of my ankle. Diagnosis. Fractured.
Um!
So off to Umbertide hospital for a scan and then Fratta, near Cortona for a special boot and walking sticks. Lesson learnt. Better ladder and no jumping off them!
