Thanks for the shout-out, Judy! I had forgotten that piece on my website. It's interesting to read through the comments and see what everyone thinks, rightly or wrongly, about EVOO.
At least there is a conversation going. Having access to a good oil, tasting various oils and learning more. Learning how to read a label and choose. It's not always easy even in Italy!
Stefano's family has olive plants in the Lazio countryside and one of my favorite memories from my younger years was helping harvest the olives - spreading the nets under the trees, raking off the olives, and gathering them into burlap sacks to bring to the frantoio at the end of the day. Tired and with dirt under our fingernails, we toasted bread on the open fire right there at the frantoio and drizzled the brand new oil on top of it.
Those trees, Judy!! So amazing. My husband's ancestral paternal family is from Lucca. When he was very young, in San Francisco, his Italian grandmother from Lucca always bought those big tins of Lucca olive oil. Do you or Andrea remember those (but maybe from Florence) and how did Lucca olive oil compare w. what comes from Florence, in your opinion? Thanks.
My friends have trees in the hills outside Lucca. They have the “old” mentality. They let the olives turn black, shake them off the tree and let them fall into the cloth below the trees. Then they lay them out to dry a little ( you pay by weight to crush the olives) and then they take to be crushed.
To me this is not a good idea for quality oil. The black olives falling and then being moved around and left to dry.. actually can cause bruising and then fermentation. Not good for a quality olive oil.
But everyone is different. I once had a olive oil tasting for my students and the oil “sommellier” brought a faulty oil as well. It tasted like most oils I had in the USA.
The newer “style” is to harvest when they are still green or just turning and crush as soon as possible. It gives a real peppery oil.
Thanks for explanation. My brother lives in NorCal on a small organic farm and his neighbors have their own olive trees and harvest yearly. They use a commercial crusher-processor where they’re fit into the schedule. There’s also a little oil company called Corning Olive oil and I always try to swing buy when up north and grab a gallon. But the oil from his friends’ farms—to die for. Now I have to show my husband the photos of the olive trees you posted! He’s gonna love them. Grazi!!
I am from the bay area! California’s first olive groves were all Spanish olives planted by Father Junipero Serra, someone brought over Tuscan cuttings.
My family has trees in Sicily so I will have access to marvellous evoo. I remember going to the olificeria and watching the process from beginning to end. It's mesmerising. That beautiful green oil at the end is such a thrill to see.
Brilliant! I was given a small cup of it straight from the tap and used it in salads for a few days. It's like nothing else. I can't wait to be back. 7 weeks to go.
Thanks for article part 2! Honestly I've never seen plain olive oil being sold in supermarkets around me! I only shopped at Coop when I lived in Bologna but I definitely can't find non virgin olive oil where I live. It's either cheap EVOO or straight to other oils. But then again when having access to frantoi, if we don't have our own oil, I usually get a tin of old EVOO to cook with and then a great bottle to use raw.
I am dying to get my hands on some sicilian olive oil. I might visit in October. If you have any recommendations for a good bottle of Sicilian evoo, I'm all ears!
This is a really helpful article. I struggle sometimes to find an olive oil that isn’t too bitter- and I do use the co-op’s non virgin olive oil for mayonnaise.
Italians do love bitter! The stronger the flavor the less you use. Tuscan peppery olive oil matches our recipes, where we don’t cook with pepper and the bread is unsalted. But too strong for some recipes, expecially when new!
🥰🥰🥰
Thanks for the shout-out, Judy! I had forgotten that piece on my website. It's interesting to read through the comments and see what everyone thinks, rightly or wrongly, about EVOO.
At least there is a conversation going. Having access to a good oil, tasting various oils and learning more. Learning how to read a label and choose. It's not always easy even in Italy!
Stefano's family has olive plants in the Lazio countryside and one of my favorite memories from my younger years was helping harvest the olives - spreading the nets under the trees, raking off the olives, and gathering them into burlap sacks to bring to the frantoio at the end of the day. Tired and with dirt under our fingernails, we toasted bread on the open fire right there at the frantoio and drizzled the brand new oil on top of it.
That's the magic!!! Nothing tastes better....
Those trees, Judy!! So amazing. My husband's ancestral paternal family is from Lucca. When he was very young, in San Francisco, his Italian grandmother from Lucca always bought those big tins of Lucca olive oil. Do you or Andrea remember those (but maybe from Florence) and how did Lucca olive oil compare w. what comes from Florence, in your opinion? Thanks.
My friends have trees in the hills outside Lucca. They have the “old” mentality. They let the olives turn black, shake them off the tree and let them fall into the cloth below the trees. Then they lay them out to dry a little ( you pay by weight to crush the olives) and then they take to be crushed.
To me this is not a good idea for quality oil. The black olives falling and then being moved around and left to dry.. actually can cause bruising and then fermentation. Not good for a quality olive oil.
But everyone is different. I once had a olive oil tasting for my students and the oil “sommellier” brought a faulty oil as well. It tasted like most oils I had in the USA.
The newer “style” is to harvest when they are still green or just turning and crush as soon as possible. It gives a real peppery oil.
Thanks for explanation. My brother lives in NorCal on a small organic farm and his neighbors have their own olive trees and harvest yearly. They use a commercial crusher-processor where they’re fit into the schedule. There’s also a little oil company called Corning Olive oil and I always try to swing buy when up north and grab a gallon. But the oil from his friends’ farms—to die for. Now I have to show my husband the photos of the olive trees you posted! He’s gonna love them. Grazi!!
I am from the bay area! California’s first olive groves were all Spanish olives planted by Father Junipero Serra, someone brought over Tuscan cuttings.
How cool to know that! So every time I have CA grown olives-olive oil, I'll be tasting a little bit of Tuscany!
It was the owner of the Chronicle newspaper that first brought it over, for her oil. My friend was her consultant from Tuscany.
My family has trees in Sicily so I will have access to marvellous evoo. I remember going to the olificeria and watching the process from beginning to end. It's mesmerising. That beautiful green oil at the end is such a thrill to see.
It’s fabulous to watch , here in Tuscany there is often a small fireplace to toast bread to taste the oil as soon as it’s pressed.
Brilliant! I was given a small cup of it straight from the tap and used it in salads for a few days. It's like nothing else. I can't wait to be back. 7 weeks to go.
Thanks for article part 2! Honestly I've never seen plain olive oil being sold in supermarkets around me! I only shopped at Coop when I lived in Bologna but I definitely can't find non virgin olive oil where I live. It's either cheap EVOO or straight to other oils. But then again when having access to frantoi, if we don't have our own oil, I usually get a tin of old EVOO to cook with and then a great bottle to use raw.
I am dying to get my hands on some sicilian olive oil. I might visit in October. If you have any recommendations for a good bottle of Sicilian evoo, I'm all ears!
Mariann Vandenberg, Travels with Taste...sure enjoyed this post...Nice looking Group! AND, lots of great memories! (And familiar faces!)
Thought you would enjoy
This is a really helpful article. I struggle sometimes to find an olive oil that isn’t too bitter- and I do use the co-op’s non virgin olive oil for mayonnaise.
Italians do love bitter! The stronger the flavor the less you use. Tuscan peppery olive oil matches our recipes, where we don’t cook with pepper and the bread is unsalted. But too strong for some recipes, expecially when new!