News — farming

In the heart of the rugged Italian island of Sardinia, Giacomo Nieddu and his family have created a beautiful olive farm dedicated to respecting tradition while using modern practices to create the highest quality olive oil from their centuries-old olive trees. Giacomo began farming their land in 2017, recovering the abandoned olive grove – an arduous task.  Their grove now totals 2500 healthy and productive olive trees. All of the work in the grove is done by hand, from pruning to harvesting.  The olives are taken to the mill within hours of harvesting, and the mill uses state-of-the art technology...

Although our producers in Italy and Spain are under shelter-at-home orders like many of us here in the U.S., they have the great good fortune of being able to spend time with their olive trees.  This time of year that means pruning. We checked in with our original EVOO producers, Amy and Mirco, at Costa Digiano in Le Marche, Italy, to see how they’re faring and find out what’s happening on the farm.  Costa Digiano is a small biodynamic and organic farm producing EVOO, honey and wine.  Although they have not been able to produce their exquisite, green, single-varietal Mignola...

Real extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) isn’t cheap. And, it shouldn't be, because producing the real deal -- high-quality EVOO that is bright, spicy and pungent -- is difficult, time-consuming and costly. When you taste a real, quality EVOO, you immediately know the difference. Cheap EVOO is an oxymoron. It’s either not extra virgin (despite the label), or it’s illegally blended with seed oils (that are extracted with solvents) or old olive oil, or both. So why is it so hard to produce EVOO? Here are some reasons: Defects - In addition to a specified chemical profile, EVOO cannot have...

Not unlike wine tasting, olive oil tasting deserves some attention to ensure you are consuming the finest quality oil. So, take your favorite brands of olive oil and... First, pour a tablespoon or two of extra virgin olive oil into a small glass. Cup the glass in your hands and swirl the oil gently to release aromas. As you swirl, you should be sure to allow the oil to warm in the process. Now it is time to breathe in the aromas. Stick your nose in the glass and inhale deeply. Then slurp the oil to bring in air while...