Nudo, an olive grove in Italy’s Le Marche region, offers you the unique opportunity to adopt an olive tree for a year and thereby to enjoy the fruits of the Italian harvest while supporting small scale farming.
By means of the Nudo website, would-be adopters pay a virtual visit to each of the 7 olive groves on the estate, deciding which one suits their fancy, and then paying 65 pounds or approximately $130 to support the needs of a tree for a year.
We’ve become partial to the grove called Il Fico, where there are 61 olive trees of the Leccino varietal, and we’ve learned that this grove is the special pet of the proprieters:
As the flattest grove and the one nearest the farmhouse, this area gets loads of attention. At the top are rows of fruit trees, at the bottom is the dreaded gulch which has already taken two olive trees and, whenever there is heavy rain, hopes for more.
Just hearing about that evil-sounding gulch makes us want to save a tree! We’re also told that in the Il Fico grove the “trees are highly productive, with some fantastic looking polyconic vase structures. These let in more light for the olives, help get parasites under control and make the fruit easier to harvest.”
Perusing the 7 groves and deciding which one is for you is a fun process. And, once you’ve chosen and adopted a tree, Nudo sends you an adoption certificate and a booklet with information about your tree. You’re also invited to visit Nudo. The innovative proprietors encourage you to see your tree, to water it, and even to hug it during the year that you sponsor its growth and care.
Adopting a tree allows you to enjoy the fruits of the harvest. In the spring you’ll get a package containing 1.5 – 2 liters of organically produced extra virgin olive oil (the amount depends on the harvest). In the fall, you’ll receive more extra virgin oil, this time made by crushing fresh lemons along with the olives, and a selection of hand made olive oil soaps scented with mint and rosemary, lemon, and lavender.
(Though Nudo says that the olive oil you receive is from your tree, they actually combine the olives from your tree with those from about 50 of its neighbors in order to facilitiating pressing. Think of it as being about the society rather than the individual.)
Love the idea, but not quite ready to take on responsibility for a tree yet? You can shop the Nudo store where quality olive oils and olive oil soap are available and make great gifts.
