Our friend Claudio came round this morning to help Darren lay the nets out under our olive trees.
Thursday, 23 October 2008
Nets under the olives
Our friend Claudio came round this morning to help Darren lay the nets out under our olive trees.
Tuesday, 21 October 2008
Olive nets
Darren has gone out to start laying out the nets under the olive trees to catch the first olives of the season. We intend to do the harvest in a couple of weeks’ time so now is right to start collecting the windfalls. Any longer and they would be too far gone by the time we go to press.
Una quindicina di giorni (15 days) should be just the right amount of time before we go on to full on collection mode in the week of 10th November (weather permitting) That week we also have another family here to help us. They have a little girl a bit older than Mickey so it should be fun to get them involved, too.
Ever since our first harvest 4 years ago I always fantasised about collecting the olives as a family. Maybe because the act of climbing and shaking trees take you back to being a child anyway. It is always a fun, if exhausting, week.
In my current pregnant state I find any physical activity lasting any more than 5 minutes utterly exhausting so I’m not sure how much help I will end up being this year. We didn’t collect the olives last year as we had had our trees pruned so in fact the last time we harvested I was also pregnant.
That year we had a good friend from the UK over to help out and he worked so hard on the first day - climbing to the very tops of the trees and shaking around like a mad monkey – that for the rest of the week he was ill in bed. A lesson in pacing ourselves. I will keep you posted on how we get on this year.
Una quindicina di giorni (15 days) should be just the right amount of time before we go on to full on collection mode in the week of 10th November (weather permitting) That week we also have another family here to help us. They have a little girl a bit older than Mickey so it should be fun to get them involved, too.
Ever since our first harvest 4 years ago I always fantasised about collecting the olives as a family. Maybe because the act of climbing and shaking trees take you back to being a child anyway. It is always a fun, if exhausting, week.
In my current pregnant state I find any physical activity lasting any more than 5 minutes utterly exhausting so I’m not sure how much help I will end up being this year. We didn’t collect the olives last year as we had had our trees pruned so in fact the last time we harvested I was also pregnant.
That year we had a good friend from the UK over to help out and he worked so hard on the first day - climbing to the very tops of the trees and shaking around like a mad monkey – that for the rest of the week he was ill in bed. A lesson in pacing ourselves. I will keep you posted on how we get on this year.
Sunday, 12 October 2008
Friday, 10 October 2008
Autumn fruits
One of things I love about this part of the world is the abundance of fruit all year round. Trees that are tricky to cultivate in northern Europe grow like weeds in this rich, clay soil blessed with year round sunshine. On one side of our property a huge fig tree has grown from nothing in the four years we have lived in this house. In the summer figs hang voluptuously from the countless trees that line the country lanes and nobody minds if they are eaten by passersby – they can never be consumed quickly enough, even by the large Italian families they are owned by.
In October one fruit that decorates the autumn trees like huge orange Christmas baubles is the Kaki, known as persimmon in English. Eaten straight off the tree the fruit has a weird affect on the inside of your mouth, almost as though all the moisture has been stripped out of it. That is due to the large amounts of pectin found naturally in the fruit if left to mature on the tree. To avoid this they are picked when they are still slightly unripe and left to ripen in the house. Sharon fruits, as found in UK supermarkets, are a popular variety of the same fruit, ripened instead by the use of chemicals.
The kaki tree, like the fig, grows easily. In fact a non fruit bearing wild variety literally grows like a weed. They need to be cut back quickly or can be a real pain to get rid of and have a nasty habit of getting inside Antonio’s tractor and breaking it. Or instead they can be allowed to grow into a tree and then have the fruit bearing variety grafted on.
Another fruit tree that grows like a weed is the mele cotogne, or quince. We also have one of these on our property that has sprung up from nowhere in the time we have lived here and it is currently heavy with fruit that looks a bit like a gnarly yellow pear. They can’t be eaten raw but cooked have a flavour and perfume similar to apple.
It is an ancient fruit with many references in ancient Greek literature. I read on wiki that ‘Plutarch reports that a Greek bride would nibble a quince to perfume her kiss before entering the bridal chamber, "in order that the first greeting may not be disagreeable nor unpleasant" (Roman Questions 3.65).
Like the Kaki it is also high in natural pectin meaning that it is great for jam making. In fact, the word marmalade originates from the Portuguese name for this fruit marmelo. The fruit turns red after extensive cooking and here in Puglia they make a very dense, red jelly out of it that is cut in small diamond shaped slices and eaten on its own as a type of sweet. I have to admit is not to my taste although it could be interesting to make a similar, slightly softer version as an accompaniment to a roast pork, or as a basis for a chutney. Now’s the time to experiment as I have a free load on my doorstep and it seems a shame to let it all go to waste.
In October one fruit that decorates the autumn trees like huge orange Christmas baubles is the Kaki, known as persimmon in English. Eaten straight off the tree the fruit has a weird affect on the inside of your mouth, almost as though all the moisture has been stripped out of it. That is due to the large amounts of pectin found naturally in the fruit if left to mature on the tree. To avoid this they are picked when they are still slightly unripe and left to ripen in the house. Sharon fruits, as found in UK supermarkets, are a popular variety of the same fruit, ripened instead by the use of chemicals.
The kaki tree, like the fig, grows easily. In fact a non fruit bearing wild variety literally grows like a weed. They need to be cut back quickly or can be a real pain to get rid of and have a nasty habit of getting inside Antonio’s tractor and breaking it. Or instead they can be allowed to grow into a tree and then have the fruit bearing variety grafted on.
Another fruit tree that grows like a weed is the mele cotogne, or quince. We also have one of these on our property that has sprung up from nowhere in the time we have lived here and it is currently heavy with fruit that looks a bit like a gnarly yellow pear. They can’t be eaten raw but cooked have a flavour and perfume similar to apple.
It is an ancient fruit with many references in ancient Greek literature. I read on wiki that ‘Plutarch reports that a Greek bride would nibble a quince to perfume her kiss before entering the bridal chamber, "in order that the first greeting may not be disagreeable nor unpleasant" (Roman Questions 3.65).
Like the Kaki it is also high in natural pectin meaning that it is great for jam making. In fact, the word marmalade originates from the Portuguese name for this fruit marmelo. The fruit turns red after extensive cooking and here in Puglia they make a very dense, red jelly out of it that is cut in small diamond shaped slices and eaten on its own as a type of sweet. I have to admit is not to my taste although it could be interesting to make a similar, slightly softer version as an accompaniment to a roast pork, or as a basis for a chutney. Now’s the time to experiment as I have a free load on my doorstep and it seems a shame to let it all go to waste.
Tuesday, 7 October 2008
Lucky numbers
We came across this curious poster this morning in town. Italians are mad about the Lotto and this supposedly shows which numbers relate to the things you dream about. I thought it was really funny, particularly the rude ones (check out numbers 16 and 28! - click on the photo to view full resolution)
Friday, 3 October 2008
Capo d'Otranto
Mickey and I sitting in the coastal wilderness just south of Otranto, the most easterly point of Italy. On a clear day you can see the mountains of Albania and even Corfu, over 100km across the Adriatic sea.
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