Olive Picking Day:)

For an Italian, as for most Mediterranean people, the olive tree has been seen throughout history as almost holy - a symbol of peace, victory, and the endurance of life itself - evoking feelings of vitality, and health. The ancient trees grow in wondrous, tangled ways, with trunks resembling characters in fairy tales. The olive tree is one of the heartiest of all trees on the planet: able to survive salt water, adapting itself to almost any sunny and temperate environment, able to thrive in most soils, retaining its leaves year round, and living in some cases more than a thousand years, occasionally bearing fruit for centuries. In Greek mythology, Zeus pronounced Athena the victor in a competition because it was she who had bestowed upon mankind the most useful plant of all: the olive tree. These ancient trees, which originated in the region that is today called Turkey, have had a huge impact on all the important civilizations of the Mediterranean for at least 4000 years - providing food, medicinal potions, and the most nourishing of oils. Today there are 500 different “cultivars” or varieties of olives. Italy is one of the world’s largest producers of extra virgin olive oil, with 35 different geographical denominations recognized by the European Union. In terms of quality, Italy is considered the world leader.

So when my new friend (the farmer who produces his own olive oil) suggested that I helped him pick olives myself he explained to me that olives do not go well with mechanization. It was really surprising to learn that the quality of the oil decreases with the increase of mechanization and electric tools because the more gently the olives are treated the better the resulting oil. The high quality oils normally are obtained by hand picking the olives directly into a basket (brucatura) - the best method of all but the least efficient and so the most costly. Picking “by hand with a net” (a mano con telo) is the next best method, with 50% more production resulting than when just a basket is used. By hand with a net, with the help of plastic rakes (pettini) and sometimes long wooden sticks, is probably the most common method. Out of objectivity I must say that electric-powered tools for harvesting olives do exist, but the branches and olives can suffer. So in Italy, most harvests by hand with the help of nets, ladders and rakes. It can be quite tedious sometimes but to tell the truth the result is well worth the effort.

The weather at the time of harvest is of great importance, and experienced farmers know when it’s the right moment to start - before the wet, cold days of fall set in. It’s impossible to pick olives in rain, wind, or fog for many reasons: besides the obvious dangers and difficulties of climbing trees and ladders in wind and rain, moisture can cause the olives to spoil in their crates before they are taken to the mill, or frantoio, for pressing. Fortunately, Italy is usually blessed with many splendid, sunny fall days for harvesting olives, and that year was no exception.

Generally, one to three people work on a tree, first laying down the net, which is slit in the middle, like a pair of pants, so that it fits nicely around the base of the tree, like a bib. One person starts on the upper branches, while the other(s) work on the lower ones. With your hands - you slide the olives gently down the branch, as if sliding beads off a necklace, and just allow them to drop where they may onto the net below. Both the green and the black are harvested; a mix of the two makes for the most flavorful olive oil. The tree offers no resistance - no thorns, no tug of war - there is an almost effortless, childlike easiness to the process. The day’s work progresses amidst gossip, jokes, and the pleasant sound of olives plopping onto the net below in a soft rain of purple, black, yellow and green - sometimes falling at an impressive pace, gently bouncing off your head, rolling down your shirt, or into your pockets. Of course, some - well, many really - do get away, bouncing outside the net, seemingly happy to roll away down the yellow hills on a gorgeous November day.                                                                          

Olive harvesting for those who have a few hundred trees or less is a family affair in much. It is often family members or friends living in cities who come to help pick the olives by hand. It’s a great way to get together and give a hand to the farmers, who are often elderly and proud and very attached to their beloved olive trees. People from other countries love this experience and help vigorously and whole-heartedly, often with more enthusiasm than the locals. These gatherings are usually filled with warmth and joy - especially during lunches, where, depending on the weather, cured meats such as salsicce, capocollo, lombetto and prosciutto crudo, and pecorino (cheese) are served, with plenty of local wine and delicious bread. On cold days, a warm “zuppa di farro” (spelt soup), “zuppa di ceci” (garbanzo bean soup) or “pasta e fagioli” (cannellini or borlotti bean soup) regenerates the old and the young.  That's how the idea of agro-tourism was introduced by local farmers: giving active young people from all over the world a good opportunity not only to travel to the most remote parts of the country far from typical tourist destinations but also get familiar with the country's most sacral tradition enjoying every moment of it. Besides there's another bonus...Apart from the main reward- the joy of being in nature eventually, after the pressing you collect at least a few bottles of that green elixir that everybody here simply calls… olio...and not only that....you can even make good money out of it because my friend for example paid me 35 euro for every hundred kilo I picked... each day I collected up to 350 kilos so you can see it was a nice combination of lovely pastime and a good money-bringing activity. So it's not so hard to guess how much I enjoyed that new exciting experience of mine.

here is a recipe you should try:

Salmon Tuscano with Herbed Whole-Wheat Orzo:

Enjoy salmon the Italian way with a bold blend of ripe grape tomatoes and smoky, tart Calamata olives,

Ingredients:

• 1 cup uncooked Organic Whole Wheat Orzo*
• 4 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 small white onion, chopped and divided in half
• 1 tablespoon chopped rosemary
• 4 salmon fillets (about 6 ounces each), skin on
• 1/4 teaspoon Natural Coarse Sea Salt
• 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
• 1 teaspoon Minced Garlic in Water
• 1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
• 1 (7-ounce) Pitted Seasoned Calamata Olives, or (8-ounce) Pitted Olives Jubilee Ready Pack
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Directions:

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Cook orzo for al dente texture.
In a large, nonstick saucepan, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil on a medium setting. Cook half of onion until tender, about 5 minutes. Combine with rosemary and cooked orzo in a large bowl. Toss well to incorporate, then set aside.
Rub salmon with salt, pepper and 2 teaspoons of fresh chopped basil. Using the same saucepan from the onions, sauté salmon in the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil, until golden on each side. Cook flesh side first, then approximately 5 minutes per side. Remove fish from the pan.
Add garlic and remaining onion to the pan. Cook until soft, about 2 minutes. Add grape tomatoes and Calamata olives. Cook together for about 3 minutes. Remove the skillet from heat, then stir in parsley, and remaining basil. Season with salt and pepper.
Serve salmon atop a small bed of orzo, dazzled with the warm tomato and olive salsa.