OLIO EXTRAVERGINE DI OLIVA

The olive tree, in its warped beauty, is associated with messages such as peace, hope, purity and rebirth. The Greeks dedicated the olive tree in honour of the Godess Minerva, while the Romans wove its twigs with laurel and presented them to honorary citizens. Since it contains many unsaturated acidic fats, cold pressed olive oil is a valuable contibution to a healthy diet.

These pages describe our production of olive oil in controlled biological process since 20 years on the Podere Caggio in southern Tuscany - which due to its location close to the sea is called "la maremma" - and the extraction of the oil by traditional method in the mill to produce: "olio extravergine di oliva".

Our Olive Grove

The olive grove has an area of 20,000 m2. It is located 420 m above sea level, reaching the highest altitude where olive trees are planted. Due to its location on a southern hill, the grove has sunlight all day. The olive grove is protected by the surrounding hills and the high trees also from the northerly winter winds ("tramontana").

The landscaped terraces and most of the trees are over 80 years old. The trees are rain fed and often suffer during the long dry summer months. We have five different varieties, including the "canino" which comes from the nearby village of the same name, all the way to the "leccio" variety from Apulia.

Oil Production During the Year

The trees are pruned at the beginning of spring. We do this during the Holy Week, under the supervision of the chief pruner, Adolfo, together with 2-3 helpers. This job takes 2-3 days. The smaller pruned branches are burned, and the larger ones are used for the stoves in the house. The grass in the field is mowed once or twice during the summer.

Harvest, Transport and Storage

The harvest takes place at the end of November. The olives are picked from the trees by hand or with a small comb and fall onto large nets. Care is taken not to damage the fruit. When the harvest of each tree is completed, leaves and twigs are removed from the net and the olives are stored in big plastic containers. Special care is taken not to bruise the olives during harvest and transport to the mill ("frantoio").

We share the work of the harvesting with neighbours and friends. The work on the hilly fields is not easy. The nets are big and easily get tangled. The ladders are long and sometimes not stable. The weather can be cold and windy. But the harvest is also a small feast. Sometimes we are more than 10 persons in the olive grove. At lunchtime we have a big picnic. Everyone hopes that the harvest will turn out well and looks forward to the good new oil.

The Milling

At the mill the olives of each farmer are pressed in separate lots. Farmers closely supervise the work and make sure that the different lots of olives are not mixed up. First the olives are washed in order to remove leaves and any soil. The milling is generally done in stone mills ("frantoio a molazze"). The two big granite mill stones revolve on a floor that is also made of granite. Each olive weighs anywhere between 1-3 grammes, of which 10-20% is oil. The long milling process sets free the tiny oil drops (diameter 5-6 micron) which gradually become larger and, therefore, easier to separate from the pulp and the water.

The Pressing

The oily liquid is obtained in modern hydraulic presses which generate 300 - 500 atmospheres of pressure. The pulp is placed onto large round steel nets ("fiscoli") which are then stacked up. The pressure causes oily liquid to seep out. The entire process is done with cold pressing ("spremitura a freddo").

Extraction of the Oil

The centrifuge serves to separate the olive oil from the fruity liquid which still contains water ("acqua di vegetazione", "acqua di mora"). The heavier parts drift to the outer part of the centrifuge, while the lighter parts remain in the centre. The oil is drained into stainless steel drums. Most mills have two centrifuges, one for the oil and another one to remove any oil left in the water that has been drained off.

Until now the farmers have spent their time waiting with catching up on local news, eating and drinking wine. But now things are getting serious. It is time to make sure that only each one's own oil is pumped into the drums. And this stage the tension mounts - the first oil starts flowing into the drums and we test its taste, and then we check its weight in order to determine the yield.

The Process in the Continuous Cycle

Some mills use a process known as continuous cycle to separate the oil from the pulp ("ciclo continuo"). In this installation the pulp is basically put through a long screw with turns at 3,000-5,000 rpm. The centrifugal force separates the oil from the pulp.

Storage

The oil is filled direct into our own stainless steel drums and is stored in a cool cave near the house. When it is ready to be used it is filled into dark green bottles to protect it from light. This valuable natural product can keep for two years. We manage home consumption and any sales in such a way that our oil is never older than one year and always moves quickly from storage to consumer.

Buon appetito.