Non si fa

Non si fa, or “not possible” is what I heard all over Tuscany during my recent trip when I asked about olivo nuovo, the new oil.  I was so excited to work with Beppe in the olive grove to harvest the olives and go with him to the mulino (olive mill) to press the green gold.  But when I asked Beppe when we would go into the orchard, He answered, “non si fa,  le olive non sono buone.”  I was confused,“what do you mean the olives aren’t any good?”

Beppe turned to Nicoletta, who’s English is much better, and she explained the devastation over two more glasses of wine.  It turns out that a new disease that started in Puglia has spread throughout Tuscany, Umbria and as far south as Tunisa and some parts of Turkey, has destroyed over 600,000 trees.  It is a bacteria that is carried by mosquitos called xylella fatidiosa or XF and it is a big problem.  Many parts of Italy, including Puglia are cutting down their olive trees all together and hoping to find a way to grow more disease resistant trees.  Other farmers are planning to spray their trees to kill the insects carrying the disease.  The belief is that the very wet summer and then hot October contributed to the increase in the mosquitos and subsequent incursion and devastation.

But this isn’t an option for Beppe.  He has been growing organic olives all his life and has no plans to spray.  He just let the olives drop to the ground this season and is hoping that the weather will be better next year.  This was the sentiment all over Cortona and the other hill towns I visited on my recent trip.  All the families I spoke with were using last year’s oil or calling on family and friends that live in Sicily and other smaller regions in the south, that weren’t affected as gravely, to send the new oil for the winter. 

So unfortunately, I was not able to bring home the beautiful “green gold” from Beppe’s farm for our customers this year.  I did bring home some beautiful hand painted olive oil bottles and olive wood serving trays to help provide some economic help to the local Cortona economy.  But sadly it won’t make a dent in the unemployment this infestation has created.  So much of the Tuscan economy is supported by premier foods like olive oil, wine, cheese and cured meats.  We all pray for a dry summer in 2015 for Beppe and his fellow farmers.