Olive harvest in Italy,
Winter Squashes and Roasted Root Vegetables.
|
|
Covid or no covid, life goes on and nothing can stop the world from turning. Proof of that is the olive harvest this month in Italy, which thankfully may be one of the better years they’ve seen recently! Lockdowns or not, olives are being harvested in most regions, from Tuscany and Umbria to southern Puglia, with their 1,000-year-old olive trees (one is pictured below!). This is a special time of year to be in Italy! In this month’s news we continue the focus on the fall harvests in Italy with olives and zucce – squash or pumpkins!
Next week is Thanksgiving and we are busy planning the special autumn dishes we make to celebrate it. While Italians don't celebrate thanksgiving, they certainly celebrate the harvest and are thankful for the season. The wide variety of winter squash that comes to market in the fall is especially welcome for the many dishes you can make with it. In the US, winter squash like acorn, butternut, delicata, and spaghetti squash are all grown as small varieties that are made to be bought whole. But in Italy, the squashes are huge and are grown to be sold in slices. If you grow a huge squash in your garden, you just slice off what you need for that meal. If you’re at the market or green grocer, they will have a humongous orange squash on the counter and will slice off however much you ask for. And at the grocery store, slices of the deepest orange squash are pre-packaged and wrapped for sale.
We’re including a photo of our friend’s squash, which she grew and sliced off enough for squash risotto!
We’re sharing our recipe for roasted root vegetables to add to your Thanksgiving dinner! Any combination of root veggies is good and a drizzle of maple syrup makes it perfect.
We are so grateful for the wonderful friends and guests that make our work so rewarding and we send our warmest wishes for a blessed and safe thanksgiving holiday!
Buon appetito!
Gina and Mary
|
|
The olive harvest involves a lot of hard work and planning. Olives are the last thing to harvest, after the grapes, and many factors must be considered to ensure success. How many olives are on the trees? If a spring frost killed the buds, there may not be enough olives to warrant picking - that happened last year to some growers. How ripe are the olives? A balance of green and black olives will determine the quality of the oil. Are the olives wet from rain? They can’t be picked when wet or they will mold quickly, which ruins the oil. So, you wait for a little breeze.
The morning mist dissipates to a beautifully clear day, and the harvest goes on.
The appointment at the olive press is planned so the olives aren’t kept too long after picking. Many estates have large racks they spread the olives on at the end of every day to ensure the olives aren’t wet or will mold. Smaller plots will pick all the trees in one day and take them in the evening to press right away. Only then will you know how successful the harvest has been. The amount of oil that the olives produce will vary from year to year; the higher the yield, the better the harvest and the more oil to sell or use until next year.
When we have culinary tours in November we always include an excursion to the frantoio (olive press) to see the olives processed and then taste the new oil. And yes, it really is this electric color of green and the delicious, fresh flavor is nothing like the olive oil in our cabinets! If visiting a frantoio interests you we’ll be including this excursion during our Tuscany fall tours in mid and late October. It is a fun and unique experience!
|
|
Any combination of root vegetables: sweet potato, parsnip, carrot, beets, rutabaga, turnip*
Olive oil, butter, sea salt and maple syrup
A grating of fresh nutmeg
That’s about the simplest of recipes! Make as much as you need. Cut all the vegetables into small dice, about ½”. Toss them with oil, salt, butter, maple syrup and a grating of nutmeg and roast them in a single layer in a hot oven until done, 400-425. It’s colorful and a great alternative to mashed sweet potatoes with marshmallow, of which we have fond memories! Happy Thanksgiving!
*Note: You can use winter squash instead of root vegetables.
|
|
This Month's Italian saying...
"Beata te!"
Translated to: "You are blessed!" - but is used as an expression - "Lucky you!"
For example - "I'm going to the movies tonight" - "Oh, lucky you!"
|
|
Travel to Italy 2021 Dates |
Are you dreaming of going to Italy? We will be going back and planning on returning next spring! We've added a few weeks, so if you're interested - please contact Mary for details, questions and to secure your spot!
-
Tuscany, Spring: May 29 – June 5, 2021
-
Piedmont: June 6 – 13, 2021 - 4 spots open
- Piedmont: June 14 - 21, 2021
-
Puglia: September 19 – 26, 2021 - sold out
- Puglia: Sept 26-October 3, 2021 - sold out
- Puglia: October 3- 10, 2021 - 4 spots open
-
Tuscany: October 16 -23, 2021
- Tuscany: October 23 -30, 2021
|
|
Gina Stipo and Mary Stipo Potter | Ecco La Cucina | 1-972-342-8308| Email | Website
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
