It is autumn. In October and November it is time for the olive harvest. When the olives start turning from green to black we start deciding when to start picking. Our neighbour Ennio (76 years old), the previous owner of our farm, obviously has the best view on this with his years of experience. We therefore meekly follow his wise advice.

Our nets are already brought out for the day. We have purchased four 10×8 nylon nets. The plastic crates are dusted off, each good for 25 kg. And the rakes, we have 1 electric (Zoo!!! how expensive those brats are!) and 2 plastic rakes on sticks. The stainless steel barrels (50 litres each) are ready to be filled with the "green gold".

We carefully cut the grass under our trees and under our neighbour's and trim away outliers at the base of the trunks. Now the nets can be put under the trees. With that, the preparation is done.

'La Raccolta delle olive' The harvest of olives can begin.

The olives are picked by hand and vibrated from the tree with the electric rake. It is an intensive job that takes us about a month or so. It demands quite a lot from your neck muscles and biceps. Carefully and with care we proceed. "Watch where you walk on the nets," warns Enza our neighbour. No damaging olives! They roll over the nets. Where we collect them and slide them into the bins. The olive pressing plant or too Frantoiois already called for a drop-off appointment. There should be as little time as possible between picking and pressing.

At the location where the olives are crushed, it is currently a busy place. From 5 o'clock in the morning until late at night, the presses are grinding. The oleificio, or pressing plant, works by appointment. But appointment is a broad concept, we have noticed. It can go on quite long. Everyone seems to think this is normal. People meekly wait, meanwhile keeping an eye on everyone's empty kettles and moving forward in the queue.

Our picked crop, together with Ennio's, goes to the Frantoio a few kilometres away. In portions of 400 kilos, we offer our produce. They are transported in open crates. So that enough fresh air gets to the olives.

When it is "finally" our turn, a mill employee sticks a note with our name (Chiappo Ennio signed us in with him) on the glass door of the press. First, leaves and twigs are removed and then all the olives roll onto the belt where they are washed. Through the open 'chute', they roll into the press, where a thick pulp forms, which is slowly kept in a gentle constant turning motion by a kind of dough hook. This is the so-called "cold pressing". Flavour and high concentrations of polyphenols are guaranteed. Then comes the climax! When the fresh oil runs from the press into our jugs. And when we get to taste our own oil. Mamma Mia, che buonissimo!!!

What is the difference between "cold pressing" and supermarket olive oil?

Supermarket olive oil is heated at 90 degrees to extract as much oil as possible from the olives. The lower the temperature at pressing, the lower the yield per kilo of olives. However, the more concentrated and healthier the oil is!

How many yields does 1 olive tree have?

Yields vary from year to year. Is there a lot of rain in spring? Is the temperature too low in summer? Did we have a dry spring? Was the summer hot? Every year it is a matter of waiting to see what the harvest will bring. But on average, we can say that a large olive tree gives 10 to 12 kilos of olives. This is good for about 2 to 3 litres of oil.

How do we store olive oil?

To keep olive oil fresh for as long as possible, correct storage is very important. The most important thing is to store olive oil in a dark place, but definitely not in the fridge! Preferably in dark glass bottles or stainless steel jugs. The ideal storage temperature is between 14 and 22 degrees. Use the olive oil within a year. The shelf life is reasonably long (almost 2 years) but as time passes, the quality decreases.

What happens to the pulp left behind after the first pressing?

The first pressing runs from the press into the stainless steel kettles. This is extra virgin oil. We put this extra virgin olive oil in beautiful 500ml and 1000ml bottles. We use it ourselves and, if necessary, our guests can also order it.

The remaining pulp is sold to all kinds of companies after this cold pressing. Such as factories that make olive oil for supermarkets. They heat the pulp and the oil that comes out of it is ordinary olio d'olivo. Obviously of much lower quality. From the last remaining pulp, factories make cream, soap or skin oil.

Definitely a must for our guests to take home this delicious fresh extra virgin olive oil. Put it on your kitchen counter so you always have a touch of Italy to hand. It is a nice memento of BB Casale di Oto and very hard to resist as a souvenir anyway.