“In many ways, the word “creativity” has been in a cultural pigeonhole; its association with the fine arts has led people to believe they are not creative if they are not involved in painting, music, dance, poetry, or the visual arts. This categorization has undermined the brilliance of a large portion of the population. It has led to a society of individuals who feel life is happening to them, rather than through them. As they abdicate the power of their imagination and creativity, the fire in the belly turns to smoke, and people end up suffocating their own passions and leading diminished lives.” ~ Jan Phillips & Ruth Westreich
Matthias was introduced to us by a good friend in Portugal via e-mail. When Michael enquired about the possibility for him to prune our olive trees and a possible date, he responded by saying that spring this year has arrived early and that the sap has already started to rise. Pruning had to be done sooner rather than later. It was our luck that he agreed to prune our trees in the short time we spent on the land.
When the land was transferred to our names in November 2017 the old owner asked if he could harvest the trees. We agreed, and he gave them the customary trim after the harvest, which means we have no idea when they last received a thorough pruning. Since then they’ve been pretty much left to their own devices, and have grown hairstyles like rebellious teenagers.
From the moment we met Matthias, we knew he was a good match for us, and trusted him even before he started his little electric chain saw. During the three days he spent on the land it became clear that he not only loves trees, but is a true artist. He didn’t rush, but took his time to give each of the 40 trees the time, attention and love that was needed. No two trees are alike, and ours not only vary in age, but also health.
I am curious to know which varieties of olive trees we have in our grove. From Matthias I’ve learned that it is not so easy to identify them just from looking at the trees without fruit on them. There are three varieties that are most common in the area, namely Galega, Bical and Cordovil de Castelo Branco, so our best guess at the moment is that we have either one or a combination in our grove.
Matthias works with two Portuguese farmers, Tiago Lourenço and Ricardo Araújo on a 180 hectare farm surrounding Idanha-a-Velha, which was known as Egitânia in Roman times. That is also the name of the olive oil they produce from their 7,000 olive trees. I love how their goal is to create a symbiotic relationship between olive groves and pastures to raise sheep on, as it reminds me of the joy I felt, when the Shepherd’s sheep grazed among our olive trees.
We brought back 10 litres of their olive oil, and although we plan to share some of it with friends, I’m not sure there will be any left over by the time the pandemic has died down.
They describe the taste of their oil as “a delicate balance between spicy, bitter and fruity”. At this point I completely lack a proper vocabulary to describe olive oil, but the first thing I thought of when I tasted it was “cut grass” and a sharp sting at the back of my tongue as a last flamboyant exit. Needless to say, both Michael and I love the oil, and like Matthias warned us, it is highly addictive.
Written by: Jolandi
## After our return from Portugal Michael and I had to immediately go into mandatory self-quarantine. When he felt unwell and ran a fever I insisted we get tested, as I suffer from asthma and I didn’t want to take any chances. We have both received good news as our tests came back negative, and it seems that he just has a case of normal flu.
Beautiful pictures and video Jolandi & Michael, stay safe and healthy!!!
Will do. Thank you, Paulo. Hope you and your family are well and surviving the lockdown.
Even the “normal” flu isn’t much fun, so I hope Michael will recover quickly, and you won’t get it, Jolandi!
Could you pickle the olives from your beautiful trees, or are they only meant to be turned into oil?
Thanks, Tanja. He is at least feeling much better this morning.
We could definitely do some pickling. According to the Shepherd our trees produce very good eating olives. I definitely want to make olive tapenade as well. We have a lot to learn as we are complete novices, but there will definitely be lots of experimentation. In the beginning we will do small batches for eating to learn the ropes first. Pressing the oil is most probably the safest to start with. 🙂 – Jolandi
So glad to hear the tests were negative. Take care and stay well.
Thank you, Kathy. We hope you and your family is healthy and safe. Take good care of yourself.
I care about the trees and actually find the description of the different types and tastes very interesting, but I had to write quickly to say I am very relieved to hear about your test results! Now I will go watch the video!
Thanks, Lexie. We are also very relieved. I got terribly side-tracked writing this post with olive oil competitions and olive oil tasting wheels . . . 🙂 We have so many things to learn, and that is excluding the vocabulary and palate for tasting olive oil. All I know is that I love this olive oil. They harvest their olive crop early in the season (October) unlike most people who only harvest November/December, so it will be interesting for us to see when we will harvest and what effect it will have on the taste. Not to mention understanding what our preference will be. I doubt that there will be any harvest this year with all the chaos happening in the world, but we should be living on the land permanently by next year’s harvest. – Jolandi
What beautiful land and awesome trees. I love when a plan comes together and they look great after being trimmed. So glad to hear that you both are well and it wasn’t Corona for Michael. Please stay well and safe.
Thank you, Terri. Being in lockdown now makes us so much more appreciative of the time we spent on the land. It is also a confirmation that we have embarked on the right course for our lives. Still many obstacles to overcome, especially now, but we are looking forward to the day we can finally relocate. I hope you and your family are well and safe.
– Jolandi
Good to hear you are both doing fine.
Your piece-of-heaven-on-earth is looking better at every post and I’m really happy you’re enjoying discovering the many hidden treasures from Portugal’s interior.
Olive oil made from traditionally grown trees is surely special.
Enjoy it with some Portuguese bread, cheese and wine.
Cheers.
Thanks, Alex. In the absence of Portuguese bread Michael has started baking to retain his sanity. It came out fantastic and is perfect for scooping up glorious mouthfuls of that olive oil. We hope we don’t finish it, before we can give you your share. 😉
I am glad to see from the comments that Michael is feeling better and you are fine. I hope you continue to stay well and safe.
It is good to know you found someone who pruned your olive grove so sympathetically and expertly. I enjoyed watching the video very much!
Best wishes, Clare.
Thank you, Clare. We are very grateful that we received good news.
We are so glad to hear that you enjoyed the video. It is a blessing that we found Matthias, who has a great love for the trees. He also does pruning workshops, which we are planning to do once we relocate, as it will be good to learn how to take care of our trees.
We hope you and and your family are doing well during these times.
Sending you our best wishes.
Thank you, Jolandi xx
Hello Jolandi,
How fortunate to have a network with mutual trust. The trees look beautiful, and I can feel the love and attention being given to them. I am sorry Michael had the flu, but very relieved that it is not what you feared. Please do continue to take care and stay safe!
All best,
Takami
We are definitely counting our blessings, Takami. Take good care of yourself.
Thrilled to hear your tests came back negative. You are definitely isolating in a marvelous location.
Love that opening quote. Your olive groves are gorgeous. I would much prefer to admire them then to prune them. Matthias is an artist indeed. We adore fresh olive oil on Amandla and The Captain always brings some back when he returns from a visit to his home country.
Good olive oil is a necessity – at least that is what we now believe. We can’t wait to have our very own from our trees. Hopefully next year. We hope that by then we are permanently on the land. Finger crossed.
Happy to hear that you are healthy and well. Stay safe in your corner of the world! I too love the opening quote.
Thanks, Atreyee. I love a good quote and whenever I read a book mark and record words I think worthy of future use as a quote. I can spend days trying to find just the right one. 🙂 Hope you guys are well too, and staying both healthy and sane in these trying times. – Jolandi
I hope by now that Michael is well and truly recovered. And it seems that one by one, you are meeting people whom you trust and have some link with. When you do move permanently, it will be nice to have a base of familiar faces.
He has, thanks, Gwen. It is so lovely for us every time we meet someone we can relate to and learn from. When we make the permanent move it will not be to a place that is unfamiliar anymore, and we can at least say that we have friends in the area. Such a blessing. – Jolandi