Our Olive Adventure

November 6, 2006 Several weeks ago, our friend Felice took Larry to his "campo." He showed Larry his 5 olive trees and told him that we could pick them because he wouldn't be here and he didn't want them to go to waste. When I asked Larry where his land was he told me above Ako's house (Ako is Japanese and was a student when we were at the school last year--she fell in love with Belforte and an Italian and stayed!). My mistake was in not asking how far above Ako's house it was. About a week and a half ago we went to check the olives to see if they were ready to be picked. The first part of the walk was up a steep dirt road that had dried tractor tracks on it. The tracks at least helped keep you from slipping back. Then we went across a freshly plowed field and then through a brier patch! I was slipping and sliding in my shoes and trying to find anything to hold on to. When we finally reached the trees I told Larry that I would only come back one time so we better plan it well.

Our original plan was to go this past Friday. We woke up to a very cold and blustery day so we decided not to go. Saturday was equally cold and we were not looking forward to the walk. At market, I asked the mayor's brother if olives on the tree would still be good after the last 2 nights that had hit 0C/32F and he told us no! So, we bought 2 kilos of olives and decided to try preparing them and not even try going back to Felice's campo. The 2 kilos cost 8 euro and it seemed like a bargain compared to the walk! Still, we wouldn't have the whole experience.

The fruit/vegetable vendor told us how to prepare them, then he confirmed it with an old lady that walked up. The first thing we needed was a newspaper to lay them out on. I went into the tabaccheria and told her I needed a newspaper--not for reading but for olives! She told me to buy Il Messaggero because it was the cheapest! So we took the olives home and laid them out on the floor in the kitchen so they would stay warm. We need to leave them for 4-5 days until they get a little puckered. Or at least that is what I think the man meant when he told us to leave them until they looked--and then he puckered up his face! The woman at the tabaccheria also told me how to prepare them and later in the day, Paola also told us. Everyone said the same thing--the peel of an orange and lemon, garlic, wild fennel, and "sale grosso non fino." The amount we need is about an open fists worth!

Today is Monday and it is a relatively beautiful day! I stopped at Carlo's store to buy a jar to put the olives in and I asked his dad about the olives still on the trees. He said they would be fine! So, after lunch we walked up to the campo prepared to pick olives. Now, we don't have a ladder and even if we did, we would not have wanted to carry it up to the trees. We also don't have any buckets. So we grabbed a bunch of plastic bags and headed out. We went up a different way and it was much easier. I had on my new 30 euro hiking boots so no more slipping and sliding. We got to the trees to find that the majority of the olives were still green! We found one tree that had a mixture so Larry held the branch down and I picked the olives! Another branch was loaded with ripe olives, but it would not bend and they were to0 high to reach even climbing part way up! After all of that walking, we got maybe 3/4 of a cup of olives! If you look closely you will see them to the right of the other olives!

I don't know if we will try this again in a week or so to see if the rest are ripe. Believe me, it is a lot of work just getting there then the work of picking the olives and carrying them home!