I've just about done all the traditional things that people in Calabria do...make salsiccia, picking castagne, baking bread and sweets...each season brings something new to learn.
Right now, it's olive season in Calabria.
Fiercely Proud Calabrians
Ask anyone who has olive trees in their region, and they'll tell you theirs is the best (Italy's is the best! No, Greece! No, Spain!). Calabrians are super proud of their olives, which they use for so many things.
First, the oil is like gold. Sure, you can buy it at the grocery store, but who knows what they put in it? And you can't be sure about the quality! Better to grow your own olives and make your own oil.
They also use the olives. Fra's mom took the first batch, squished them to remove the pit, and then soaked them in water for several days. Then she put them in a jar with slices of lemon and fennel branches. YUM! I eat them every day.
She also baked some until they turned brown. These still have the pits and I find them a little bitter for my taste.
The olives we harvested this year will feed us all year long.
About the Olive Harvest
I wasn't sure what to expect when it came to picking olives. The work, it turns out, isn't terribly difficult, but I was exhausted at the end of each day.
First, we lay a net below the tree to catch the olives. Papà gave me the special job of helping him! (Fra grumbled that he'd never been asked to help with the net). Then Papà climbs the tree and starts throwing down olives. Mamma uses a rake-looking tool to pull down olives on high outer branches. The rest of us throw the olives into buckets on the ground.
To mix things up, I changed from bucket-filling to branch-picking to tree-climbing. It felt so good to climb a tree after decades of adulting!
Fra's family is a merry one; the days passed quickly as we joked and told stories. Papà made me laugh by throwing olives at me and singing.
We paused work each day to head home (just 10 minutes away by car) and refuel with a delicious homemade meal. With olives, of course!
There is something so satisfying about knowing the oil and olives we use, I helped harvest. It's just one more way I'm connecting with the land around me.
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