By July the olive groves have been prepared for the Autumn harvest; the trees have been pruned and the flowers (mignola) have appeared. These flowers, now being pollinated, are the basis of the tiny nascent olives. Matteo Frescobaldi, brand manager for Laudemio Frescobaldi says that ‘by the end of June, we can almost forecast how many olives we will harvest. So far, this year, it’s looking like it will be another wonderful Emerald harvest!’
Now we must wait for nature to take its course – and hope that no gales or hail damage the trees. It is not only summer storms which can cause a problem; in the Molise temperatures are already in their 40s and Marina Colonna has realised that there has not been enough rain to fill her irrigation ponds which she would use to water her trees. Therefore, so that trees do not become dependent on water which will then run out, she has made the decision to not water them at all, in the hope that they will get enough moisture from the ground. Thankfully olives trees are hardy and can cope with some stress - just as we have had to since 1st January this year!