Olive branch

This is a useful photo to explain how olives bear their fruit. This tree was not picked last November and so the branch from the last olive to the tip is all last years growth and it is on this that the tree will bear fruit this year.

On the subject of branches I saw an advert for a tree surgeon company and they were called Special Branch!

I love olive (s)

                          Summer olives, Umbria by Karyn White   http://www.karynwhite.co.uk


I think I may have lost my senses but I have agreed to rent another two olives groves this year which total another 500 trees. Yes I think I have. Anyway, the pruning has started here at Casa Margherita and at Le Corone and with the weather seemingly set fair and the l'artista going back to New Zealand for a couple of weeks I am looking to get really stuck in.

Le Corone

Le Corone (the Crowns) is a small hamlet at the other end of the valley from our local village of Manciano and it is here that I have rented another olive grove. A lovely parcel of land containing around 200 olives big and lovely but untended for a couple of years now as the owner is too ill to maintain them.

Today was our first day starting to clean the land and prune them back into shape. It is a great feeling being able to bring a piece of land back into production.

This may lead to a new label of olive oil from Casa Margherita. Exciting.

Foligno

It is said that in the centre of the world there is a sea, in the centre of the sea lies a peninsular, in the centre of the peninsular there is a region, in the centre of the region there is a town, in the centre of the town there is a bar, in the centre of the bar there is a billiard table, in the centre of the billiard table there are four markers, and in the centre of these lies the centre of all creation.

Now, if you were to come to Foligno on this basis, as it is Foligno of which this story speaks, then I think you would probably be reasonably to very disappointed. Nice town but....

The other reason sprang into my hear today is in the the feast of San Felician(o) the patron saint of Foligno.

Hunters Chicken - A Review

I have cooked the ‘Hunter’s Chicken’ twice now for my wife. She says it is in her “Top 5” meals of all time. I made it last week for our 27^th Wedding Anniversary and everything worked out that night. 

Thank you for the recipes. I will be trying more in the near future.

Warren Jones

Aurora, Canada

Just one of the recipes in the Casa Margherita Cookbook. Available from www.casa-margherita.com

Adopt an olive tree this Christmas

Looking for a Christmas gift that is a little different then why not adopt an olive tree from
Casa Margherita.

With a beautiful initial gift box filled with an adoption certificate complete with your personal message, a sample tin of olive oil and an olive oil handbook, then in summer a copy of the
Casa Margherita recipe book and then in winter a guaranteed two litres of extra virgin olive oil.

Choose from a 'young & virile', a 'full flush' or an 'elder statesman' tree. All this for only €71.50 plus shipping. Find out more at http://www.casa-margherita.com

Pea souper

We have been engulfed in a good old fashioned pea souper whilst waiting for a courier to pick up the olive oil for our UK olive tree adopters. Naturally enough he has just arrived - 6.00pm.

The weather meant we were unable see this.