Olive picking...2021

It's so easy to fall in love with olive trees here in Italy. They are everywhere in the country side, and you start to really notice just how gorgeous the leaves are when the light is right...and the really old trees are like a dream you've had one time.

I've written about a nearby ancient grove here. 

And then there's the oil...more on that in a minute.

I took some photos this morning on my walk...just the beauty of the trees and the groves...

I love the shadows and the lines...

The olives are so pretty.

We are surrounded by groves in our little area!

I just happened on this fellow harvesting this morning...

The grove on the property where we live has about 160 trees, I think. Some are easier to harvest, all planted in rows, which makes putting the nets under them much more convenient.

The lower grove is in rows and on pretty flat land.

Plus, having an awesome view is nice when we are working our fannies off!

The olives are beautiful, and when they are in the nets and baskets, they look like jewels....

One of our main jobs as helpers is to help lay out the nets under the trees. These nets are huge, and get really heavy when they are full of olives. You drag them around with another person, lay them out then start the picking. The olives fall into the net...

After you have enough olives in the nets, you then manipulate them into a big pile, and sort of pour them from the net into the bins.

Yes, there are some leaves and such that go through the mill. 

We try and get as much of the leaves out as possible, but we're always on a deadline to get the work done, so you can't get them all...

The bins. They are called "cassette", the 'e' at the end 
is pronounced ā...so not like a music cassette.

Here, you can see how big the nets can be!
In this way, people can be working on more than one tree at a time.

I actually enjoy the work, if it's not too hot or windy. That being said, after many hours, the neck and shoulder muscles start to scream a bit! I take Advil before the work starts!

I think it's the natural gardener in me that enjoys the work...

This year, we worked in two groves. One on the property where we have The Nut, and also at a friend's property. 

It's great to be able to help out for a couple of days...but it is hard work. 

The fantasy you see in the movies is not the reality of the work that needs to be done. 

My favorite part is just listening to folks chatting together as the work is being done. You learn more about the people you meet here in Umbria. It's a bonding opportunity. If there is a lovely lunch provided, it's golden. (Thanks, Jody!)

All in all, we do it because we want to help out.

Smiles when the hard part is finished!

The big crash afterwards... especially for Boss Cat, Nemo.
His constant supervision must be exhausting.

Then there's the oil...

You have to toast some simple crusty white bread...then a drizzle of oil and a bit of salt.

Some like to rub the toast with garlic, but I like my first taste to be about the oil.

I can't say it enough...I love my old school toaster.

This year, our oil has a spicy kick. We like it. It will mellow a bit over time.

Mmmmmmm.

We get 'paid' in oil, so that makes it all worth while!

If you want to see more olive harvesting, I've done another post here, from the 2019 harvest.

Afternoon Boat Adventure!

You wouldn't know it by the weather over the last few days.....

...But it was like summer last week, and we jumped at the chance to take a ride around the lake with our pals in their boat.

What a special treat!!

Leaving the small harbor in nearby
Castiglione del Lago.

We've taken the ferry boats many times out to the islands on the lake, but never have been on a personal boat here. It was so fun, and the day was perfect weather...warm, no wind...

Happy Artist!

On previous boat trips, we've always seen the island from one side, as the ferry boat just goes from one port to another. 

On this trip, we were taken all around the island, and we got to see the castle in all her ruinous glory...we've never really seen this castle before. It's huge...

Coming around the tip of the island.

We've only seen a small portion of the castle before. I had no idea how extensive it is.

Sadly, she's really falling apart, and I doubt there are any true glory days left for her.

After a slow cruise around to the other side, we docked the boat and had a small bite to eat.

We enjoyed a wonderful bruschetta with tomatoes, olives, mushrooms and onion. 

It was quite tasty...wine, of course!

As we left, the weather was just beginning to change. We high tailed it back to the mainland before it started to rain a bit.

Clouds moving in fast!

Yeah, I had my "Titanic" moment.
Come on, who wouldn't take advantage if asked?!?

Johnny just hung back and smiled....

 

I hope we have another chance to get out to the island on the regular ferry, but over night it has become so cold, windy and wet! 

I'll just have to look back on this so special day on the lake and laugh!!!

It was great!

Fun At The Flea Market

Going to the flea markets and/or antique markets here in Italy is a total blast. I've posted a few times in the past about these fun days, and I'm so glad things haven't changed about the markets since the dreaded covid. 

Well, people are wearing masks, and there is hand sanitizer all over the place, but that's an ok change.

We always deliberate over whether to go or not....we don't really need anything, but it's such fun just looking at what we could bring home!

Sure, it's a pile of 'junk', but what cool junk!

I'm always, always tempted by these old pots and buckets.
If it's rusty, even better.

These markets generally run one weekend or Sunday a month, and they can range from just old flea market stuff to really fine antiquities. We enjoy them all. It's a nice day out, and you just might find a real treasure.

This past Sunday, we left really early, and stopped along the way for Johnny to paint. I'm posting about his painting adventures here in Umbria on our gallery blog...

Anyway, we left early, and by the time we got to the market, things were humming right along. There were loads of venders, and it was warm!

One of several streets of vendors at the market. It's huge!

Italians seem to love weird American kitsch culture...of course. You see lots of toys from our youth, as well as film memorobilia and music collectables. Vinyl is big...records, I mean.

Oh so tempting. Also creepy.

I'm always looking at the old rusty tools. This trip I did pick up a cool boot scraper. I don't know if I'll keep it here, or haul it back to California. 

Our place here, The Nut, is small, and we can't really bring in anymore furniture, but it's always fun to look. We've pretty much bought all we need...right????

I don't know....On the other hand, I'm thinking we may really need this!!!

Anyway, we had a fun day, stopped at The Best Bar In The World on our way home, and made it back to The Nut in one piece.

I'd say it was a successful day out! Can't wait to see where we go next...
 

Sunrise At The Nut

Autumn here is so lovely....warm days and cool nights....and the best sunrises.

Since I follow my early wake-up routine even here in Umbria, I'm lucky to catch the show...

This was from a morning last week.

The view from our bedroom window...

From the terrace, looking that way...

From the terrace looking the other way...

Looking out over the valley to the lake.

Back in the bedroom to enjoy a cup of coffee in bed.

 The weather has changed since I took these pictures. We've had an amazing thunder and lighting storm blow through a couple of nights ago, and it's been on and off rain. It gives me a chance to do some cooking and relaxing at home, which is a good thing.

Johnny can't wait to get the fireplace going again. 

I think it will be soon...

Getting Back Into The Food!

Those of you who have followed my blog for years know that Johnny & I are vegetarians (not vegans), and that I do love to cook, as well as eat at the many wonderful places available here in our area.

It's taken a little while to get into the groove, but I'm getting back to my little kitchen, with all it's quirks and size restrictions! I'm actually pretty proud of what I can produce in a small space, and I feel like a real Italian doing so. We've witnessed the sizes of many home kitchens here, and they are often like closets, tucked away in a corner!

Anyway...

While we were house sitting a couple of weeks ago, we were taking advantage of collecting fresh tomatoes from the garden there. I love roasting tomatoes with garlic, thyme and a good glug of Umbrian olive oil.

I brought some tomatoes home and did just that...Oh...salt, too!

After roasting the tomatoes, I cut them up into smaller pieces and warmed them in a pan to make a chunky sauce for some farfalle pasta...

 

I'm a big fan of ricotta salata, which is a dried, salted ricotta cheese that is wonderful and grates well. It's a nice change from parmesan. It's also snow white, so it's pretty.

We enjoyed this as dinner with a view from our terrace at The Nut. Like always, as long as the weather permits, we'll dine on the terrace! Small, but mighty!

Another day, for lunch, I did fresh ricotta and cherry tomatoes on grilled bread.

We are so lucky to have good sources for ricotta cheese here. It is nothing like what we get back home. Not even close. 

Often, I'll go for a sheep's milk ricotta, which has a bit of the barnyard taste. Really good with honey or fig jam (our housemate makes the best!), but I like ricotta used in savory ways most.

Fresh from the weekly farmer's market

Also a market score this week.

So, we toast our bread old school style, on this contraption that goes right on the gas burner. It gives the bread a nice char, and is way more fun than a toaster!

The bread is locally made and full of seeds and wholesome goodness. Thanks, Lia....

A simple toss of tomatoes, basil olive oil and salt...then I rub the warm bread with some fresh garlic...

Yum. 

Grilled toast with ricotta and tomatoes.

That's a lunch that will keep you going all day...after a nap, that is.

And speaking of the weekly market, what usually happens is that I buy way too much, and get myself into all sorts of trouble!

But...who can resist??

What am I going to do with all this?

Well, I've already used a bunch of tomatoes and the ricotta, grilled up the eggplant and zucchini, and am looking at roasting the potatoes with onions and bell peppers. The winter squash? Can't decide whether to roast it or braise it in a pan...

The giant garlic is called aglione, and it's used in pasta sauce with tomato puree. I also like to roast it. It gets soft and sweet.

I'm going to shuck the borlotti beans today and cook them up to make a bean 'stew' sometime soon.

Yeah, I'm getting pretty excited about being back. Finally.

It took some time to get over the stress of the past year, especially the past 4 months, but I think I'm getting my act together.

Thanks for sticking around.