Editor and copy: Francesca Boggio Robutti                        Download  version

 

© 2006 Az. Agricola Pornanino. All rights reserved. Reproduction without permission prohibited. While we make every effort to provide accurate and reliable information, we cannot be held responsible for any mistakes that may occur.

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Franco’s olive grove diary

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All hands on deck, please. It's harvest time!

 

It's actually more of an orange alert as yet. Taking into account the last several years, Franco predicts that the olives won't be ready for picking until the second week of November, at the earliest. But he also knows how important it is to plan ahead; with little time to spare, operations must run as smoothly as a well-oiled (you bet!) machine. Everyone is ready to spring into action. There will be a crew of hired hands, professionals who can pick fast and efficiently and who'll see to the main groves. And then there's the family, including Franco's little granddaughters, aged 10 and 12, and a plethora of relatives, friends and acquaintances who join in the excitement for a day or two just for the fun of it. They're all expected to lend a hand for as long as they stay, of course, but then city-born and bred folks actually seem to enjoy toiling in the fields - go figure them! 

 

For the time being, though, things are still on hold as Franco prowls the slopes, peering intently at his beloved olives, squeezing and prodding them to gauge how long it will take for them the reach just the exact degree of ripeness he's looking for. This is really important, because if you pick them too early the oil content will be low and the flavor harsh and bitter. If you wait too long, on the other hand, the natural oxidation will have set in, resulting in higher yield but lower quality - you get more oil, but lose on flavor and shelf life.

 

So you want to strike the golden moment when the balance is just right, because the first rule of olive oil making is adamant: good oil comes from perfect olives. No room for compromise here. 

 

Olive trees are hardy. They can survive temperatures as low as -10°C (that's very cold by Italian standards) and dry, baking-hot summers without complaining too much. They get by under duress but they're not happy, and might only bear fruit on alternate years or shed them all before they reach full maturity, which takes between six and eight months depending on local conditions and tree varieties. So if you want perfect olives you can't just sit in the shade waiting for Mother Nature to take care of things! Franco is always on the lookout in summer, when the ripening olives are particularly vulnerable to lack of water. When a prolonged dry spell hits, the trees need to be watered, otherwise the olives might get so shrunken they "die" and just fall off. Too much water, however, might not be a good idea either, as excess water will increase the size and weight of the olives but not their oil content. They will take longer to harvest and press, but the yield in terms of oil might be even lower than average.

 

By October, with the worse of summer heat long gone and with it the risk of hailstorms, all Franco has to do is replenish the soil with nutrients and keep an eye on his beloved olives. Once they're ripe they will cling to the tree for about two weeks before dropping to the ground of their own accord. People used to drape nets under the trees to catch them, or beat the branches with wooden poles and then raked up the fallen fruit. So much easier, isn't it? Unfortunately the quality of the olives is impaired if they are left too long on the tree - and you only get good oil from perfect olives. So how do we know when the time is right to pick them? Well, olives are technically called drupes - fruits with a stone, just like prunes or peaches. And just like them, they gradually change color and get softer to the touch. Now, olives come in many different varieties (in Italy we grow over 470 cultivars). All of them are green most of their life, even those that will turn black when they are completely ripe. Franco, who grows four different varieties, has learnt by experience how to read the signs. Remember, he wants his olives slightly unripe. So he checks every day, noticing how the purplish tinge darkens to blue-black, and the acid green mellows to a deep, golden hue. Waiting for the right time. Aiming for perfection.

 

Which is very nice, but so much HARD work! We'll tell you all about it next time, when the ordeal of picking, and pressing and bottling the new oil is over and done with. It's going to be an extra long diary entry - get ready for it! And if you want to read it while leisurely nibbling at the very best bruschetta your side of the ocean, don't forget to order your supply of the new olive oil now. Once you have it just toast the sliced bread, brush it with a generous helping of our green gold and enjoy. So much work but well worth it, don't you agree? Mmm, yes. Definitely.

 

Well, it makes sense. The reason why olive oil is so good for us is that it's magically, and naturally, compatible with our body chemistry. The gifts it bears are all gratefully accepted and totally assimilated. It truly is a perfect match and it doesn't only work on our insides.

Our skin is protected by a very thin layer called acid mantle, which is composed of the salts contained in sweat and by the lipids (i.e. fat) produced by sebaceous glands. Since it's mildly acidic, it acts to protect the skin from outside aggression by bacteria and fungi but its main function is to retain moisture. When the acid mantle is damaged, our skin is more exposed to infection and, as it loses water, looks wrinkled and dry. Perhaps you've noticed that people on a low-fat diet tend to have thin hair and a sagging skin. That's because water is naturally stored in lipids, so you can't have one without the other, and water is what makes our skin firm and elastic. Our body needs fatty acids in order to function, and the skin is no exception.

By composition olive oil is nearly identical to the natural lipids that protect the skin, down to the mildly acidic PH. Therefore it reinforces and rebuilds the acid mantle, and since it's easily absorbed it also helps build up the skin's stores of lipids and water, so it both nourishes and moisturizes. But that's not all. Olive oil contains soothing elements that ease irritations, and it's particularly rich in vitamins and other compounds that counteract oxidation, a natural process in which free radicals are released that damage the cells, leading to premature aging. So you see that bathing in olive oil is actually quite a good idea - if you don't mind the oiliness, that is.

The ancients knew all about the amazing properties of olive oil, and used them to their advantage in many ways, including beauty. The very first soap we know about was made with olive oil, in Babylon some 5,000 years ago, and the tradition survived along the centuries until the early 1900s, when industrial production began in earnest and the old ways were discarded. This is actually a pity, because mass-produced detergents are not nearly as friendly to our skin.

We, on the other hand, love to do things the old way and just hate to see the wisdom of our forefathers going to waste. So we have scouted Italy to find someone who could offer us all the advantages of modern research applied to the recipes of old and have come up with an olive oil soap based on the very same top quality first cold pressed extra virgin olive oil we bottle for food consumption. It's professionally hand-made the traditional way, and so incredibly mild that it can even be used for baby care.

Of course you don't have to buy our hand-made soap in order to enjoy the wonderful properties of olive oil. Just try rubbing some Pornanino cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil all over your body straight from the bottle, as the Greek athletes and the ancient Romans used to do. It really works!

Of course you don't have to buy our hand-made soap in order to enjoy the wonderful properties of olive oil. Just try rubbing some Pornanino cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil all over your body straight from the bottle, as the Greek athletes and the ancient Romans used to do. It really works!

Would you like to try our soap? Click here

Customers say: "I have spent several months comparing your lovely soap product to several other natural soap products. My husband and I think yours is the best. As an owner of a small unique specialty spa, I am interested in purchasing your soap." Susan, WI Thank you!

With Christmas around the corner, don't you wish you could e-mail Santa a list and just forget all about it. He's the professional; he's got the know-how, experience and skills to manage the tricky business of present giving. Plus, he's got faithful elves to help with logistics and a whole train of flying elks for home delivery - satisfaction guaranteed. Too bad he doesn't exist.

So we're stuck with the tiresome routine of figuring out what to give, going shopping, gift-wrapping and sending, all the while hoping that Joe and Mary and cranky Aunt Kate will have the decency to at least pretend they enjoyed the present. Okay so forget Auntie, who would still complain if you gave her the Koh-I-Noor diamond (how could I ever wear something that big - honey, it's so tacky!).

We won't waste our time with the likes of her, but is it really unthinkable to find the "one size fits all" gift? The wonder present you can give to friends, family, acquaintances and colleagues without cringing at the thought that it might not be the "right" thing? You know that sinking feeling you get when it's too late, you've handed over the package, all nice and shiny and wrong …

As you can expect, given our line of business, we think we have an answer to the dilemma. Look, we genuinely believe we have the wonder present and it's not an empty boast. Why don't you give them each a bottle of Pornanino olive oil - or two, or a case, depending on how much you love them. You would be giving away some of the best olive oil on the market, a totally natural luxury that tastes great and makes our body happy. Whoever said that good things are always bad for us? Also, Pornanino olive oil is only available through our website because our production is tiny - just about 6,000 bottles a year. Only a very lucky few have access to it, which makes for a truly unique present. Just like a rare vintage wine.

Maybe this year you can spare yourself the hustle of shopping around for mass-produced items nobody really needs (or wants). Just do the math and order as many bottles as you think you will need, keeping in mind that the new oil will be ready for shipping at the end of November and should be delivered to your home by the first week of December. Perhaps it would be wise to order a couple of extra bottles, just in case you had forgotten the odd present. If you have second thoughts later, we might not be able to guarantee delivery by Christmas, so order all you need now.

And you might also consider our hand-made olive oil based soap, the most skin-friendly you'll ever have the pleasure to use. Its extra smooth lather and fresh lemony scent are sure to please even Auntie Kate. She won't tell you, for sure, but don't be fooled by her sneer. Hang on a minute, though. Why should we lavish our wonderful, lovingly hand-made olive oil and soap on undeserving souls? Get her a box of chocolates at Wal-Mart!

Would you like to order? Click here

Customers say: "I just finished the last bottle of olive oil that I received from you last December. The oil was MOLTO BENE! I plan to order more this December." Barbara, MA Thank you!

Going on tour to the United States is something we have come to look forward to over the years. At first it was more business than pleasure - if you can imagine it, Franco used to be nervous at the thought of speaking in front of an audience, he worried that his English wasn't good enough, that people would be bored and leave the room in disgust … Well, we're glad to inform you that it didn't happen. People actually sit through Franco's presentations AND ask questions afterwards!

 

Of course his subject matter is fascinating and much more complex than meets the eye. If you tried your hand at the test in our Newsletter's last issue you might have come to realize it (if not stay tuned - more tests will come in future). In principle, olive oil making should be a pretty straightforward process: you grow the olives, pick them, press them and bottle what comes out. That doesn't sound very complicated, does it. Actually it wouldn't be if producers all played by the rules and if regulations, both in Italy and the US, were designed to promote quality over gain. Which they don't.

 

When Franco bought his Chianti estate he had no farming experience whatsoever, having worked in the building industry most of his life. He was just looking for a nice place to retire. And he got hooked to olive oil. In just a few years he found out how many scams are up even in the idyllic Tuscan countryside - healthy olives mixed with rotted ones, good local oil blended with imported, you name it. He talked with people, snooped around, researched, experimented and eventually decided to build his own press (most small producers take their harvest to outside presses, like people used to bring corn to a mill, so as to cut costs). Franco now sees to the whole production cycle himself. He knows exactly what goes into his olive oil.

 

What Franco has learnt along the way has fired his enthusiasm for olive oil - and left him disenchanted about the ambiguities of the trade. And that is what prompted him to go on tour once a year, to raise consumers' awareness about both the good and the evils of olive oil. To put it in a nutshell, olive oil's global success is leading to its downfall. As world demand increases, with millions of bottles flooding mass-retailers' shelves, quality standards are bound to deteriorate. What you get for a few dollars at your local supermarket is a thin, tasteless and sterile golden liquid that barely resembles olive oil. It's not harmful, mind you. But if it doesn't taste good, and has lost most of its vitamins and health-improving natural compounds to industrial processing, why should you buy it? Yet, is forking out twenty bucks a guarantee that what you are getting is the real thing?

 

There are so many interesting things that could be said about olive oil. Franco's presentations usually last about 45 minutes, but if unchecked he could carry on and on for hours …

 

We'd like some Italian food to be served, so that people get a chance to taste Franco's olive oil (which we will provide) to see for themselves what we are talking about, but apart from that any venue will do just fine. Just keep in mind that we'll be asking a small fee to help us with travel expenses. Please send us an e-mail and we'll be delighted to provide further details.

Franco in USA :
1st / 5th December 2006, Corner Cooks, Winnetka IL
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- 18nd April, Southern New Hampshire University, Manchester NH
- 20th April, Fitchburg State College, Fitchburg MA
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- April, to be defined, Colorado CO
- September, to be defined, South California CA

 

One last thing: Franco's olive oil seminars are FUN! Bring your friends!!

 

If you think you'd like Franco to come and talk at your club, to your friends, your local community center or whatever please send your request to newsletter@chiantionline.com.