A NOTE FROM FARMER AL
Dear CSA Members,
Every day, as I pass by our rows of olive trees, I’m amazed by the sight of so many olives draped on heavily hanging branches. This will surely be a record harvest for us, and also the earliest. Looks like we’ll be picking this big crop starting the last week of October!
Deciding just when the best time to pick is always a challenge. The pick date is a critical aspect in achieving the flavor profile we’re looking for, which is the classic Tuscan-style oil, peppery, pungent, spicy, grassy and bold.
Four olive varieties are planted next to each other in the same row, in a specific ratio: Frantoio 55%, Leccino 25%, Pendolino 12%, and Maurino 5%. We’re looking for the dominant variety Frantoio, to be about 50% ripe when we begin picking. We judge ripeness by color, so the olives should be half purple, half green. Meanwhile, the Maurinos, Leccinos
and Pendolinos have fully ripened. Since all four varieties are picked at the same time into the same bins, the blend is achieved in the bins, which are sent to the mill for pressing the same day they are picked.
Last year’s oil was the best we’ve ever had, and of course, we’re hoping to continue this high quality again this year!
