INGREDIENTI

2006 Tuscan Estate XVOO

2007 Estate Meyer Lemon Olive Oil

Red Wine Vinegar

Champagne Vinegar

True Balsamic Vinegar

2005 Estate Sangiovese red

Pollo Rosso red wine

The Works!

2006 Estate Sangiovese Rosato rosé

Gift Box of Dry Creek Estate Oils + Dipping Dish

Civilization Pack: Wines & Olive Oil

DaVero Spa Package

Salad Set with Extra Virgin and Red Wine Vinegar

Just Add Chicken!

Salad Set with Meyer Lemon Oil & Champagne Vinegar

Salad Set with Extra Virgin and Champagne Vinegar

Extra Virgin, Meyer Lemon, and Champagne Vinegar

Extra Virgin, Meyer Lemon, and Red Wine Vinegar

Extra Virgin, Meyer Lemon, and True Balsamic Vinegar

`30-Weight´ Utility Oil & Line Lube

Estate Satsuma Mandarin Marmalade

Estate Meyer Lemon Marmalade

Estate Indian Red Peach Preserves

Estate Meyer Lemon Curd

Estate Sangiovese Grape Jelly

Estate Green Tomato Conserve

Tangerine Jam

Estate Twin-Fig Jam

DaVero Samplers

Estate Wildflower Honey

DaVero Jam-of-the-Month Club!

Signature Dipping Dish

Embroidered Linen Towel

Olive Oil Pour Spout

'Pollo Rosso' Chicken Baseball Cap

Embroidered Bucket Hat

True Castile Soaps (3-pack)

Olea Rejuvenating Body Cream

Olea Gardeners Hand Balm

Sparklers in Tin

Estate Lavender in Tin

Meat & Poultry Herb Rub

Olive Tree for the Olive Lover

Handmade Beeswax Tapers

November 26, 1998 (Thanksgiving)

Juan and his crew started picking yesterday, dodging rain clouds on a cold, wet, day. After the early harvest of 1997 (mid-October), this was Nature's way of reminding us that we have no control whatsoever!

While most people were sleeping, and a few were stuffing turkeys and otherwise preparing for a Thanksgiving feast, I was driving a silver-grey Dodge diesel pickup and trailer - loaded with nearly two tons of olives - down to Frantoio for pressing.

My nephew Will Daley met me there with his spiffy new digital camera, so for the first time we can actually show you how this all works. With apologies for layout, design, etc., here's how it works.

This is the view through the main door of the pressing facility. The pietra (stone wheel used to crush the olives) is on the right; a carrier, stacked with paste-filled mats, is in the middle, and the restaurant is visible in the background.
In the right foreground is a bin of our olives. Notice that the fruit in the bin varies in color from green to deep purple, which is typical. (Actually, as a rule most of our fruit is a bit riper than this, though still with a lot of green.)

And this is none other than The Magic Juan - Juan Valladares, our foreman, who has been with us since we bought the farm in 1982, and who knows every single tree in the grove. It is under his careful, nurturing eye that we have managed to create DaVero.

Here are the steps involved

An overview of the frantoio

Loading the olives into the washer

The olives being crushed by the pietra

Dino unloading the pasta from the pietra

Dino spreading pasta onto a mat

Closeup of spreading

Stacking the mats on the carrier

Putting the carrier into the press

The carrier, completely compressed

The final separator

Liquid gold

You can't imagine how good this smells!

These pictures can't possibly do the process justice. If you ever have the chance, be sure to stop by Frantoio in the late fall and early winter to see - and smell - the pressing yourself. It's a magical experience, and there's simply nothing like new oil!

Last updated 25 Nov, 2004