For thousands of years the olive tree has always been considered sacred, a symbol of fertility and peace in religion. The cultivation of the olive tree dates back 6000 years ago when the oil was used not only as food but as an ointment for the skin and beauty. As is known, olive oil is fundamental in our diet as it is good for the heart and combats the development of diseases.
In Tuscany the history of the olive tree dates back to the Etruscans but it evolved especially in the nineteenth century when olive groves became denser and spread even in reclaimed areas.
We have always looked forward to the olive harvest, ready for the bruschetta with the new olive oil. Until a few decades ago, children’s favorite snack was “bread and olive oil”.
The most varieties of olive tree in Tuscany are Frantoio, Leccino and Moraiolo.
The Frantoio produces an oil of medium-strong intensity and is very elegant, the result of the Leccino is a more bitter and slightly spicy oil and from the Moraiolo we obtain a fruity oil with vegetal notes.
We have had a company oil mill for about twenty years because we would like to guarantee greater quality to our customers. Our farm produces a blend of these types trying to obtain a homogeneous product.
The harvest of olives is by hand, this process is called brucatura. The harvest takes place between October and November.
We grind the olives within 24 hours of harvest through cold pressing, in this way the machine works under a certain temperature and guarantees the best quality of the extracted oil.
To mill the olives as soon as possible means preventing the risk of oxidation.
A very important criterion that allows an oil to be defined as Extra Virgin is acidity. This parameter represents the free fatty acids present in the olive oil. It is expressed as a percentage and indicates the presence of oleic acid. For Extra Virgin Olive Oil the acidity limit allowed by law is a maximum of 0.8%. As the percentage of oleic acid and therefore the acidity rate increases, the quality of the oil decreases.
Tasting an olive oil that tingles the throat may seem like a strange sensation, but it is instead a certificate of the product’s quality. Extra virgin olive oil has a huge variety of qualities, from nutritional values to organoleptic ones and health benefits.
Tuscan extra virgin olive oil goes well with dishes of all tipologies, from salad or vegetables crudités, to legume soup, from octopus salad to a plate of spaghetti with tomato sauce.
In the Val d’Orcia area from November to December various olive oil festivals take place to celebrate the new harvest.
We are waiting for you at our farm to taste the new oil!
