The truth about olive oil !

We have just finished picking the last of our olives. This year there has been an excellent crop - we collected 1,500 kilos and now have 350 litres of oil for family and friends. Olive trees produce every two years so , even if we only have a small harvest in 2009 we will have plenty !

As I was waiting in the processing plant one day I got to reading about the different qualities of olive oil. Our own, because we collect them direct off the tree and process them, if we can, the same evening, normally has very low oleic acid content - less than 1%. This year we achieved 0.5 % putting our production, I read, in the "Extra Virgin" category !

When shopping in the UK, I read some of the labels on bottles of olive oil with extravagant claims (and prices !) about Extra Virgin olive oil and the way it is made. Doing some research I found that the categories are simply based on the UNCTAD specifications

Read more about olive production......

Greece in the wintertime - Sun and Snow on the mountains

Southern Greece has 300 days of sunshine a year. This means that the days are generally sunny and , even in the winter and after the sudden recent snowfall, our solar water heating system works excellently.

Weekends we often go walking up in the mountains and then find a small taverna in one of the villages to have some Fasolada - a type of soup with beans and vegetables normally eaten with Feta cheese- followed by country sausages or a steak grilled on the barbecue just outside.

Spring is just on its way and the almond trees are sprouting their pink and white blossom. When younger , our children used to compete as to who would take the first blossom into their teacher each year !

Breaking News........

The Greek government is in the process of announcing new measures to assist the development of villas by the sea and re-define the rules regarding construction in areas which are outside the town planning area.

The basic rules today, if you want to build a villa in the country are:-

• Your plot of land must be at least 4,000 sq.m.
• With 25m frontage onto an old (before 1923) established road
• It must be outside the forestry/ mountain area
• It must have a certificate that it is not of archaeological interest

There are also a number of local rules and exceptions, so it is most important that you check with a city engineer before proceding to sign contracts.

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