In
the news...the 2013 olive harvest, discover the Enchanted Forest,
Billy goes MIA, and Patrignone saves the World, a bit more than last
time.
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News from
Tuscany
More
stories from deepest, darkest Chianti
Yes,
it’s hard to believe, but it has been a whole year since our last
newsletter, and what a busy and exciting year here at Podere Patrignone. Well, it's been exciting for us. You may think
otherwise...
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Podere
Patrignone goes 'carbon positive'! Yay!
You may
remember that Simon was ever so slightly nervous about how we would
get this 1000kg monster biomass boiler plus two 1500L tanks into our
beautifully restored capanna (shed) through over a foot of wet,
sticky mud? Well, here’s how……
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 A big thank
you to Ettore and his trusty tractor who managed the muddy bit!
Anyway, that was last February and all is now up and running
smoothly. What a treat it has been this winter to crank the
heating up and not feel guilty about murdering the planet (and our
bank account).
What we hadn’t properly understood was the volume of wood the beast
consumes and what that would equate to work-wise. The trees
must be felled, cut unto moveable chunks, transported, then cut again
to fit the boiler, split, stacked, and allowed to dry for a year or
so. This led to some frenzied activity this summer to ensure we
had enough wood for both this year and some of next. An
excellent way for Harvey to earn a few pennies and an excellent
excuse for Simon to buy himself new toys (a bone-crunching wood
splitter, and a scary circular saw, a saw so big, and so scary, it
could do the old magicians trick in the blink of an eye).
And this month will see Nicu and Simon doing very good impressions of
lumberjacks, cutting enough wood to last until the end of 2015!
That’s a lot of wood, but thereafter they’ll only need to cut enough
for 1 year.
Another unanticipated benefit has been our use of ‘biochar’. Simon
can switch off the boiler at the end of the gasification stage (don’t
ask me!) leaving him with a boiler full of lovely charcoal. We then
grind this up and combine it with chicken poop and water for 48 hours
before spreading it on to our veg beds. It’s a technique being used
in the 3rd world in places with poor soil and little water, and Simon
wanted to try it here. We ran a trial with our tomatoes, biochar at
one end, and plain chicken poop at the other, with incredible results.
Not only were the biochar plants bigger, bushier and better
producers, they were also more disease resistant. Apparently
the charcoal releases the nutrients more steadily or something clever
like that…ask Simon! The important thing is it works brilliantly, and
Simon has been ordered to keep me supplied with the charcoal I need
for my veg beds.
This was a big investment for us, and even with grants, the payback
could be 10 years or more. But it means we have reached the goal we
set when we started this adventure: to be carbon neutral within 5
years. OK, so we were 4 months late, but we can now say that Podere Patrignone is carbon
positive. This means that when you add together the
electricity we produce from the solar farm (and the surplus we pump into
the grid), the energy our solar thermals produce, and the
carbon-neutral energy we generate from the biomass boiler, we are
effectively removing carbon from the atmosphere.
So future guests can offset the carbon cost of their flights simply
by staying with us. Not bad, eh?
And we’ve not finished yet. Simon plans to add more solar panels
later this year, and we’re looking at ways of storing winter rain so
that we can use it in the gardens in the summer.
We’ll let you know how we get on.
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These beauties are just about
ready to be squished. Lovely.
Olives,
olives, and more olives!
Yes, this
year has seen us pick more olives, and make more olive oil then
ever before. After an unusually cool spring, it took a long time
for this year’s olives to get going, and at the beginning of
October, just a month before we’d usually start picking, I was
starting to get a teeny bit worried. We had a team of local pickers
ready to go, but the olives were just way too green and hard.
You can still pick olives when they’re green, but the ideal time to
pick is when they are just a little pink. Too green, and you make
too little oil, and the oil is very bitter. Too black, and you make
lots of oil, but it is very fatty and greasy, with less fruitiness
and a lower polyphenol content (the antioxidants that make olive
oil so good for you).
It’s a fine balance, and those last weeks of October meant daily
trips to the trees to see how the olives were maturing.
And by the 7th November, they were ready, and so were we.
 And if I
was expecting a routine harvest, I was going to be sorely
disappointed.
The
weather was being horribly awkward, with regular downpours halting
the harvest for the day; you can’t pick if the leaves are wet or
you’ll damage the buds that produce next year’s harvest.And we
nearly had a pickers revolt, as they got tired and frustrated by
the lack of progress, blaming my 'bushy' trees and the awful
weather for slow progress. (We sent Max in to show them how easily
they could be replaced with child labour, and that straightened
them out.)But in the end, we made it. And we have over 1000L of the
most amazing oil I've tasted. I'm always impressed at how our oil
can be so different from one year to the next. Last year’s oil
was full of fire and spice, a nutty chilli-oil without the chilli,
but this year’s oil is warm and mellow, like a good brandy, full of
fruit, and possibly the most aromatic oil we've ever produced.And
now that our trees are producing more olives, I’m hoping the
oil-lovers amongst you are going to start spreading the word to
your friends and relatives. We have a 24 hour turn-around on all orders (more or less) so as soon as you feel the need, drop us a
line, or order your taste of Tuscany direct from our website.Simon has been busy on
Facebook with posts on how almost all commercially available olive
oil is tainted at best, 100% fake at worst, so go to the Podere
Patrignone FB page if you want to learn more on the subject. Scary
reading! facebook.com/PoderePatrignone
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Wedding
bells
We would
like to take this opportunity to congratulate Jeff & Andrea again
on their marriage here at Patrignone in July. Jeff &
Andrea were returning for their third visit but bought  along close
friends and family to help them celebrate their marriage at
Castellina’s medieval castle. It is a beautiful and romantic
spot. The ceremony took place in the afternoon and then
everyone came back here to enjoy prosecco and nibbles on the terrace
followed by their banquet watching the sun set over the hills.
A lovely day and a lovely couple, we look forward to seeing you again
soon!
We have two
weddings this year. Olivia & Steve from the States are
tying the knot here in May followed by Shereen & James (a British
couple living in Oz) in August. We are getting excited already
and wish both couples all the very best. See you soon!
Certaldo's
insanely fun festival
Jeff & Andrea, took our advice and visited the annual Certaldo
street-theatre festival, Mercantia, just after their wedding.
In the third week of every July this colourful international
event is a must-see, with performing artists from all over the world
and delicious local food stands (loads of truffles). If you are
going to be in Tuscany over that week you must take the chance to
spend a night up there. It really is a lot of fun, with music, and
fire-eaters, trapeze-artists, and abseiling ballerinas
galore. Jeff & Andrea are going to plan future visits
to Patrignone around it, it’s that good.
This year
the festival runs from 16th-20th
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 Monte Amiata &
The Enchanted Forest
Our
greatest discovery last year was the spectacular Monte Amiata,
south east of Siena and a couple of hours to reach the top of the
mountain from our door. But, in my opinion, it’s a lovely drive and
totally worth it. A ski resort in the winter, the mountain
has great hiking, cycling and tree top adventure park in warmer
months. Many local Italians disappear up there to cool down
by a few degrees on hot summer days. Simon & I stumbled across
it just by chance. We were having some ‘we’ time away from the
kids, and Simon saw the mountain in the distance and said, “I
wonder what the view is like from up there?”.
But what we loved most were the spectacular forests and handy barbeque
and picnic areas. In September we went back with the boys and
played cricket on the big grassy areas (much to the amusement of
the locals), had a go at the adventure tree thingy, (like Go Ape in
the UK, and geared up for kids from 4 to 49) and then for a barbie
in the woods. The boys foraged for firewood, while Simon got the
barbie going and treated us to marinaded steaks and ribs. We hardly
saw another soul the whole time we were there, giving the kids
ample opportunity (taken with gusto) to practice their primal
screaming and play hide and seek. It was magical, it really was.
So if you want a quiet day away from the tourist bustle, and you
fancy a change from the Chianti hills, then this is a great way to
get away from it all. We’ll be back in the spring for sure.
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Another Italy: Reggio Calabria
At the end
of March we decided to take a quick break before the start of the
season. Not having much time to plan, we listened to some of
our local friends and headed south to a part of Italy we'd never
seen. We broke our journey down with an overnight stay in
Pompeii. Which was more impressive than we'd expected. Pompeii
itself is a lovely town. Yes, it's touristy, but it's a pretty
town, and kept well. We liked it. We will return when the two
little boys are not so little and less easily bored.
The next day we continued south to the tippie-toe of Italy, Reggio
Calabria,
 and
in particular, to the lovely town of Scilla. If you are planning on
including Calabria as part of a trip to Italy I cannot praise
Scilla enough. It is a beautiful fishing town with views across to
Sicily (a 20 minute ferry crossing away) and the food, mostly
seafood (not surprisingly), was wonderful. If this is a place
that you’re interested in, please let me know, as I can highly
recommend the lovely family run B&B where we stayed, with
bedroom balconies reaching out over the water.
And the same can be said for the amazing hotel that we stayed in
just a couple of clicks from Amalfi, on the way home: the views
were just breath-taking.
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Bye-bye
Billy, bye-bye
Last summer
was not all fun and frolicks I am sad to say. Billy, our pigeon
whose gender had eluded us, began behaving more strangely than
normal, when considering she was a wild bird who followed me everywhere
– on foot – and wasn’t even afraid of the dogs. But she became even
more needy and extremely vocal. And then she laid an egg. A-ha!
So Billy was a girl, and a lonely girl at that. She sat on her egg
for many days, but I managed to coax her down with a snack, and we
had a little chat about the birds and the bees. Billy took all
this in, packed her bags and moved out. Well, moved out in the
sense that a teenager moves out – just around the corner (or down the
valley) so she could bring home her laundry. She would be home
by the time I went to let out the chickens, sweeping down as normal
to follow me. She would get fed and watered, have a chat with
us and her other local friends, but come dusk, off she would
go. I was fine with this, as all mums are, glad to see one of
my own making their way independently in the world, but returning
home to check in at regular intervals. But then she stopped
checking in. This may not have worried me quite so much
(perhaps her mother-in-law had taken on her laundry?) if it had not
coincided with the start of the hunting season and the arrival of a
beautiful pair of sparrow hawks. Wherever Billy may be, I am
glad she was a part of my life for two lovely years, and I think of
her every morning when I make my way to the chickens, imagining her
following in my footsteps.
Just after
Billy moved out (already an emotional time), Annouska (one of our
white chickens) got sick. She, like me, may have been mourning
the loss of Billy, or perhaps she was just too hot to go on. So she
didn’t. Sad times. However life goes on, and Simon kindly purchased 3
new hens for my birthday in October, and we are on to ‘B’ company
now. Barbara is our new white Livornese who keeps Adele
company (chickens are surprisingly tribal), Bernie & Beatrice are
our beautiful black and gold Livornese. 
The story doesn't end here, of course. I am hatching plans
(!) to give the girls a man to boss around so we have have lots more
babies. And I'm also looking into the idea of getting a couple of
piggies. And maybe a cow. And a goat. And maybe some sheep. And
geese, I've always liked geese...
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STOP
PRESS 25/1/14:
Charlie
was playing one of her usual games of chacing Nicu's car up the
drive last night. Unfortunately, she slippin in some wet leaves
when going around a corner and ended up in front of Nicu. He was
going slowly, thank goodness, and manage to get his brakes on fast,
but Charlie still got a hefty clout. She hobbled back home OK and
we kept her warm inside last night. Lucky, xrays this morning
showed she hasn't broken anything, but she can't walk at all and is
clearly in a gread deal of pain...she's sleeping quietly behind me
right now. We'll keep you updated through Facebook...
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Fancy
a summer in Chianti?
You may or
may not know (if you follow us on Facebook you will have heard all
about it) we were left without a housekeeper slap bang in the
middle of last season: not an enviable situation but we were saved
by the awesome Ramona, who has helped us out on a part time basis
for years, and had a bit more spare time than usual last
year. If you have met Ramona you will know that she is a
force of nature and a demon cleaner & ironer, as well as a
great cook. She is also very clever, and she's finishing a nursing
qualification which will keep her busy this year. So, we are
looking for an energetic someone who can help us out for
approximately 8 months this season. It is hard work, but it is also
8 months living in the heart of Tuscany with your very own cottage,
with a sunny porch and views over our olive groves, and two days a
week off to go and explore. If you, or anyone you can think
of, may be interested, please get in touch with me.
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Are you following
me?
You don't
have to wait for us to write another newsletter if you want to find
out what's happening at Podere Patrignone. We have a Facebook page
which we use quite a lot, and these posts also go to our Twitter
feed. There's also a "Friends of Podere Patrignone" page
where guests old and new plus other groupies can hang out and swap
news, ideas, gnocco recipes. And there's a blog, where you'll find
prettier copies of this newsletter, along with other interesting
stuff. Feel free to join the cultural revolution and join us in
cyberspace.
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Recipe:
Asparagus & prosciutto tart
This was a
very popular antipasti last season and is so quick and simple to
make. It shouldn’t be long until you can get your hands on
some fresh asparagus so here it is.
Torta
di asparagi e prosciutto
Serves 8 as an antipasti or 4 for a light lunch with salad:
1 round of ready rolled wholemeal pastry
1 large handful of basil leaves
1 dessert spoon pine nuts, lightly toasted
1 handful grated parmesan
Juice of 1/2 lemon
10 or 12 asparagus spears (I prefer Sprue or wild, thin spears),
tough ends snapped off
10-12 slices prosciutto
Extra virgin olive oil
Preheat your oven to 180C/360F. Lay out the round of pastry on to a
30cm/12" pizza tray, lined with parchment. Score a
circle 2cm/1" inside the edge.
Put the basil, pine nuts and parmesan in a food processor with the
lemon juice and switch on. Pour in some olive oil through the
spout until you have a green liquid the consistency of thick double
cream. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Spread
this in the inner circle of pastry, fairly thinly. Save the
rest of the paste in an airtight container in the fridge and serve
on fresh pasta within the next week.
Wrap each asparagus spear with a slice of prosciutto and place on
the tart in an attractive fan or any other shape that takes your
fancy. Drizzle more oil over and pop in the oven for 20-25
minutes, or until the base is crispy. Serve warm.
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More
food news
It is
with great sadness that we have to tell you that our favourite
restaurant, the ever popular Al Macereto, has closed down.
Fantastic food, personal and attentive service in a woodland
setting, and only 10 minute drive…..it was the perfect, and we
sent all our guests there. Those of you lucky enough to eat
there will remember Wynn, the charming Italian/ Welsh owner. He
turned 50 last year (like someone else we know), and after
many years of slaving away and working all hours, he decided
that it was time to try something new. I can’t say I blame
him, but it is a great pity. Good luck Wynn...
Simon & I made it back to Ristoro di Lamole with great mates
Mick & Jackie (of Hedonistic Hiking) in October. It was
Simon’s first visit in over 4 years and we were left wondering
why he had left it so long. Lamole is an idyllic spot to
while away a leisurely lunch, with excellent food and wine, and
excellent multi-lingual staff. The drive there is stunning
if a little long, but well worth it (in day light!). This
is always a must for any food-lovers with a romantic streak.
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And
that's all we have time for. We'll be back again soon, but not
too soon. Keep an eye on our Facebook page, as that's where we'll
put any breaking news. Thanks for listening! Verity
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