Wow! That Worked

 Dec. 3: Will it rain? Will we freeze? Will the hand-to-olive ratio be adequate?  No. No. Yes.

The second and final harvest of the year was a more intimate gathering, but just as jolly and productive as the first.  We were blessed with companionship and new friends, including Pepe from Sicily, as well as just enough sunshine to get the job done.  The last tree was picked as twilight took command of the orchard.  A bottle (or two) of red wine in the barn made for a perfect benediction to the rite of autumn.   

Nov. 20: Two weeks ago, we were looking at green olives, wondering if they would every turn purple.

One week ago, we were looking at the weather forecast and wondering just how much rain would fall on the three days leading into our designated harvest Saturday -- and on the Saturday itself.

But trust we did. We trusted Brother Sun to ripen the fruit and we trusted NOAA when the computers called for a 25 percent chance of sunshine,

The first harvest for 2011 turned out to be a classic: good weather, great friends and a record yield for a single day of volunteer picking.

Following the ton of fun on Saturday, on early Sunday we delivered 4,778 pounds of perfect fruit to Butte View Olive Oil in Palermo.  (That is 2.389 tons.)

We estimate another 3,000 pounds of olives are yet to be picked. Let us know if you want to get in on the fun. We will o post dates on the Frate Sole Facebook wall.

 It's about the Olives!!

The olive varieties we selected for Frate Sole Extra Virgin Olive Oil are predominantly Tuscan varieties –- Frantoio, Leccino and Pendolino.  Our other plantings are also Italians --Taggiasca from Liguria and Coratina from Puglia -- as well as some olives of Spanish and French origin, including Arbequina, Boutellian, Aglandau and Grossane.

The fruit is hand-picked and cold-processed before the sun sets a second time to ensure fresh and flavorful oil.

Our bottom line

At Frate Sole (aka Brother Sun), our business partners include Sister Rain and Mother Earth.

We do not use artificial chemicals or fertilizers.  We plant cover crops to naturally increase the fertility of the soil. And we judiciously irrigate with a drip system. Our orchard has been graded to restore seasonal wetlands. The captured winter runoff provides habitat and replenishes the aquifer; the edges are newly planted with native oaks and grasses.

It is a place where people – and coyotes and rabbits, hawks and even the occasional snake – are the way God made them.

Ready, Set, Pour

The 2011 harvest (and 2012 oil) is ready to pour!  The harvest was both bountiful in volume and generous in quality.

The oil from the first harvest days has been racked -- that is pumped or poured out of its original container to separate it from any residual sediment.  That oil -- just a month old -- is now resting in steel tanks.  It is fresh and flavorful -- with a warm pepper finish that Italians expect from Olio Nouvo or new oil.

We are bottling to fill demand, so that the oil stays in steel until needed. As the oil mellows, we are tasting and blending to see what flavors we can develop. Each of the different varietals has a different contribution to make -- and because we harvested over a period of a month, we can blend stronger oil from November with softer oil from December.

Hi, Can we visit?

It is one of our favorite emails, especially among those that come from strangers.  They see a bottle of Frate Sole in a winery or restaurant; maybe they find us online -- and they take us up on the offer to see where the sun meets the tree. We always learn as much as they do, about growing sugar beets in South Dakota or life in New York City.  Every season offers something a little different, so if you plan to be in the neighborhood, feel free to drop us a line at jim@fratesole.net.  

 ..with tomorrow in mind

Our goal is to create a sustainable enterprise that yields healthy and world-class olive oil in a flourishing ecosystem that will be worked and enjoyed by our children's children.

If you want to follow a sesaonal summary of what this really means, go to the Grower's Journal to track our activities, including events and awards.

Coratina olives ripening in October sun.