94. At the Press

Rube Goldberg comes to mind. Or that old board game Mousetrap. But what will linger in my memory most is the smell: the beautiful, rich smell of crushed olives.

After our first day in the groves, we went along with Tonio as he brought our half-ton haul to the press. (We picked a full ton the second day!) There we saw — step by step — how the olives progress from one monster machine to another, until the final product rests in the designated Creanza tank. Although it was carefully explained to me, I can’t begin to absorb it, let alone describe it here. Hopefully the photos will give a sense of the scope and complexity of the operation.

Not surprisingly, olive oil plays a central role in the Creanza family’s lives. They use it as a skin moisturizer, with great results. Not only do they use it heavily in all their cooking — including deep frying for which we would most likely use canola or corn oil — but they keep a bottle on the table and use it as a condiment on all manner of dishes. And what a thrill it was for us to use the olive oil — made from olives we picked the previous day — on our pasta.