Around the end of October, but mostly in the month of November, In Tuscany it’s time to harvest olives.
During the years the methods of harvesting has changed, we can now use machines that shake the trees, others that brush the brunches or cloths in technical material to collect the olives on the ground, but the spirit behind the harvest is the same of the past.
Together with the grapevine, the olive trees are the most important agricoltural resource of the Chianti and of the entire Tuscany. Lots of people have their own olive tree field to take care of, also if they are producing the olive oil for home use only.
The extra-virgin olive oil we extract with cold press technique is a small part of the olive itself and for this reason we need a lot of production to have a good quantity of extra-virgin olive oil.
The work behind this product is awkward, difficult, with lots of potential problems and not all the time it gives back good results!
The best result is to have a green olive oil, with a peppery taste and a good smell. Then after few months it will change naturally into something more soft, yellow and clear in a natural way.
In the last years, for example, the attacks by the olives fly have damaged part of the harvest and so of the production itself. This fly’s larvas live inside the olives and they damage the fruit directly; when the olives with the bugs are involved in the production process, the oil coming out has a bad colour (with milky reflection) and a bad taste.
In the last years the climate changes with a mild instead of a cold November has caused lots of fly’s attacks.
Today the olive oil producers have started to fight this fly with different kind of treatments available, because of the importance in Tuscan lifestyle of the olive oil.
The extra-virgin olive oil has a lot of good properties that help to maintain a healthy life. It is considered the best seasoning to use in Mediterranean cuisine and diet.
Olive oil, for the Mediterranean diet supporters, is good to prevent strokes and cardiovascular diseases, thanks to oleic acid, that seems to help to prevent this kind of health problems.
In Tuscany, we are of course really interesting in maintain a good life quality, but we are especially interesting in good eating and we are very lucky to stay in a region where good cuisine means also healthy cuisine!
If you come to Tuscany in this period don't forget to taste the typical bruschetta with the new oil!
It's a symple and tasty snack with a slice of toasted Tuscan bread, garlic, new extra-virgin olive oil and salt.
Tuscan Extra-virgin Olive Oil
