A Corsican olive oil producer feared for her orchards after the Xylella fastidiosa bacteria was spreading on the island, but for the third consecutive year, Fabienne Maestracci was rewarded for the quality of her work.
This time last year, olive grower Fabienne Maestracci was afraid her trees would have to be destroyed. She was not alone: The islandโs 500 olive oil proยญducยญers were alarmed after the dreaded Xylella fasยญtidiosa bacยญterium had been spotยญted in Bonifacio, the most southยญern tip of the French Isle de la Beautรฉ.
Franceโs Agriculture Minister visยญited the area, the infected plants were burned, and everyยญone breathed sighs of relief.
The trees are hunยญdreds of years old, they are not aligned, and they are very high which makes them difยญfiยญcult for pickยญing.- Fabienne Maestracci
Things are difยญferยญent this year. Maestracciโs harยญvestยญing methยญods for her monoยญvaยญriยญetal were awarded a douยญble disยญtincยญtion at Corsicaโs olive oil fair Fiera di lโalivu, the yearly event held in mid-July. She received the recogยญniยญtion for harยญvestยญing her olive oil using a net, and another for harยญvestยญing directly from the tree.
It was the first time such awards were bestowed by Corsicaโs union of olive oil proยญducยญers since LโHuile dโOlive de Corse-Oliu di Corsicadecided last year to clasยญsify olive oil from the island into the two difยญferยญent types.
Hard-workยญing Maestracci explained why harยญvestยญing olives from her 550 trees is tricky and risky. โโThe trees are old, hunยญdreds of years old, they are not aligned, and they are also very high which makes them difยญfiยญcult for pickยญing.โ
Maestracci starts harยญvestยญing at the beginยญning of November and finยญishes in February. โโIt is a long period, anyยญthing can hapยญpen. Also, we pick the olives ripe, so we have to work quickly,โ she said.
Pruning of the local variยญety Zinzala at her planยญtaยญtion is a seriยญous affair. Zinzala olive trees adapt well to the very cold winยญters and hot sumยญmers, but they grow horยญiยญzonยญtally thus requirยญing a lot of prunยญing. Maestracci has perยญfected the Japanese techยญnique of prunยญing which she credยญits with her sucยญcess.
Her cusยญtomers, she explained, love the oils harยญvested using the traยญdiยญtional method when the ripe olives are allowed to fall natยญuยญrally onto the nets, and they can tell the difยญferยญence between the oils.
Oil from ripe Zinzala olives has a flaยญvor simยญiยญlar to almonds and nuts. Fabienne said the oil made from the net method renยญder a taste of dried almonds, while those picked from the tree have a taste of fresh almonds.
She conยญstantly worยญries about Xylella fasยญtidiosa and feels that more needs to be done to elimยญiยญnate the disยญease, not only in Corsica but everyยญwhere. Although there is some sanยญiยญtary conยญtrol, she feels that authorยญiยญties should pay more attenยญtion to traceยญabilยญity when importยญing plants.
โWe olive oil proยญducยญers have to put the botยญtling date on our oil, but when you buy a plant, even the counยญtry of oriยญgin is not menยญtioned.โ
The Mediterranean area will always be under threat, and even the dry stone walls in Maestracciโs orchard canยญnot fully proยญtect her Zinzala trees. More than anyยญthing she wants to conยญtinue the Corsican traยญdiยญtion of proยญducยญing sweet olive oil. And her Oliu di Aliva is one of the best.
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