Anyone for olives?

20 years ago

Mrs finbar's olive-picking ambitions were finally realised on a foggy Tuscan Sunday afternoon.

First, she was introduced to an olive tree - a very very small one - by friend and farm owner, Jean:
{{gwi:2116751}}

Before long, there was no stopping her (or the dogs):
{{gwi:2116752}}

Then she discovered you use a net to catch the olives that you knock from the tree when picking (and for the dog to rest on):
{{gwi:2116753}}

Then you need a refreshment break, a slug of Bianco di Toscana:
{{gwi:2116754}}

Then you flash your 45th basket of picked olives:
{{gwi:2116755}}

Which is nothing compared to a fraction of the load picked yesterday by the pros (slightly out of focus because some nong set the camera to macro):
{{gwi:2116756}}

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Comments (7)

finbar
Original Author
20 years ago
Yes, I hit the Post Message button by mistake!

They pressed the first of this season's olives very recently, and here's the result: {{gwi:2116757}}

The colour is astonishing. Interestingly, after a dry summer and a wet autumn, the oil doesn't have the customary, pronounced peppery taste associated with Tuscan oil. But, I have to tell you, it still tastes rather nice!

Oh, and while I was out in the fog with the camera, I snapped Jean and Aziz's house that has taken two years, three builders, much anguish and an enormous amount of stress to renovate. They've finally moved in, even if it isn't 100% completed: {{gwi:2116758}}

Now I'll nick over to the other thread and post some vegie picks.

Ciao!
finbar
Original Author
20 years ago
Vegie picks? I think I meant pics. I didn't have any of the Bianco di Toscana, I swear.
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Check out buffalo berries. The fruit really looks like the autumn olive trees above, add a nice touch of blue/green/silver to the landscape, and produce wonderful small red berries like those pictured above. When ripe, they are sour like a pie cherry or grapefruit and have a hint of grapefruit flavor and a small seed you can swallow or spit out. Their main drawback is that they are very thorny and picking the berries results in numerous pricked fingers. Best to wait until just after a good frost, then lay a tarp under the tree and shake it good to knock the berries off. It is a native, not invasive, and very hardy with few pests.
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I have a potted 'Arbequena' Olive and a regular European Olive. The 'Arbequena' is supposed to be the best about staying small, enjoying life in a pot, cold hardiness, very productive. It bloomed and fruited last year but the olives fell off before they ripened. This year it bloomed later and has a big crop of fruit. I'm not sure how long they will take to ripen. I think it will be fun to press them for oil - I'll probably get like thimble full - woo hoo! I keep mine in a cool hoophouse during the winter and they are unfazed by low temps but it only gets down to freezing a few times each winter. I don't think they can handle Raleigh winters so they will stay in pots.
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I don' have an olive tree BUT I do have a wonderful recipe. Lye-Cured Green Olives Use olives that are mature but still green. Rinse olives with water & place into glass jars. Purchase lye in cleanser section of grocery store. Determine how much lye solution you need to cover olives. Add ratio of 1 qt water (65 to 70o) to 1 Tbps lye. Soak for 12 hours Drain olives; then soak 12 more hours in fresh lye solution. Drain and rinse. Cut into largest olive; if the lye has reached the pit,the lye solution is complete. If nessessary soak in fresh lye bath 12 more hours, drain and rinse with cold water. soak olives in fresh cold water, changing the water three (3) or more times a day for the next 3 day. At the end of three days taste an olive to make sure that thers is no lye taste of flavor. Water should be clear and not pink. Next soak olives for at least one (1) day in a brine solution: Ratio 6 Tbsp pickling salt to 1 gallon water. The olives are now ready to eat. Store in brine solution in cool, dark place. Refrigerator is great for this. You may add garlic cloves to olives and/or hot peppers. Linda
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Comments (23)
A friend and I were stationed in Greece in the early 90's. We both ended up in San Antonio. There were so many areas around here that really reminded us of the Mediterranean area where we had been, my friend started looking around for an olive tree to keep in a container as a reminder of her time overseas. None to be found. "The experts" told her olive trees wouldn't grow here. Not the right climate. Etc, etc. Fast forward 20 years and I hear about an olive tree nursery called Sandy Oaks SE of SA and went to a couple of their olive oil festivals. What a neat place. Long story short, the lady who started it didn't listen to the experts, did a lot of research, a lot of trial and error, and was on the forefront of the olive tree (and olive oil) production in Texas. Olive trees definitely grow in Texas, some better than others. Look up her website- lots of good information there. Sorry I can't help with ID'ing your tree. I do know some tolerate cold better than others and they're pretty adaptable to a wide range of pH. On her website it mentions some varieties can tolerate temps as low as 14 degrees. HTH Lisa
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pepino
20 years ago
Hi Finbar
Looks like you guys are having lots of fun. Just as well Mrs Finbar has that little hand rake to harvest the olives, otherwise it will take forever to pick them all...with one hand LOL.
ozmantis
20 years ago
All the pictures are blocked here at work, Reason: Lingerie
LOL. The mind boggles
Raymondo
20 years ago
On seeing Mrs Finbar getting down and dirty with olives, I though you might like to see Adam doing his imitation of Katharine Hepburn inaugurating the manadarine tree!!

{{gwi:2116759}}
finbar
Original Author
20 years ago
Cripes. Where was Spence?
adamus
20 years ago
Kate has a slight problem with body hair. I'm thinner when I'm not on the telly you know.

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Anyone for olives?

Comments (7)

finbar
Original Author

finbar
Original Author

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pepino

ozmantis

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Anyone for olives?

Comments (7)

finbarOriginal Author

finbarOriginal Author

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pepino

ozmantis

Raymondo

finbarOriginal Author

adamus

COMPANY

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finbar
Original Author

finbar
Original Author

finbar
Original Author