I’m sitting at my desk, wrapped up in sweatshirt and pants, watching the wind blow the branches of our trees around. Today is the first morning that feels like Fall. Clouds dot the sky, obscuring any direct sunlight, but leaving small cathedral-like patches of blue sky that remind me of a Bierstadt painting. I like it. It’s been a long, hot summer.
The olives are turning early. We normally harvest our Leccino-variety olive trees in mid-November, but something in this summer’s weather pattern has nudged the olive harvest nearly a month early. For a farming family like ours, that spells harvesting trouble. Walnuts, which are our main crop, traditionally take most of October to harvest, which means the olives will have to wait on the trees until our workers are freed up to pick them. Waiting on the trees, however, can result in a mellower and less pungent olive oil. If you’re like me and love the strong, fruity flavor of California extra-virgin olive oil, you can see why waiting might not be the best option. I guess yours truly might be out there picking herself! Maybe I can get the kids to help…
- Just Starting to Change Color
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