Christmas at Trullo Solari

My family has been lucky enough to holiday twice at Trullo Solari. The first time during the summer that they opened, in the over 40c heat. Phew!
Then we returned for Christmas 2009 with our extended family.
What an amazing place to get away from it all. There were 7 of us staying in the house, and 2 more visiting every day. But we never felt crowded or that we needed more space.
The weather was lovely and mild, the rain stayed off so we could make pizzas in the outdoor pizza oven on Christmas eve. There were long walks on the beach or in the lanes around the Trullo, and shopping for last minute ‘stuff’ in town.
When it got chilly in the evenings, we lit a big log fire in the fire place and played silly games or watched DVD’s and dozed. On other evenings we made the expedition into one of the surrounding towns or villages and went and found wonderful local food. The annual Natale celebration was going on in Ostuni, and we went and took part in the parade of people admiring the nativity scenes and visiting the cathedral.
Getting away from the crazy shoppers and parties in London and having a fun family Christmas with Aunts, Uncles and Cousins made it an occasion we all remember.

Maggie

 

Battles with Nature

This week has been one of contrasts, good news followed with bad, followed with good. Sometimes we always seem to be battling against nature, and then rewarded by her huge acts of kindness.

A few weeks ago our bees deserted their two hives. We only got them last May and everything seemed to be going to schedule; then one and a few days later the other left home en mass. Our supplier’s theory is that they had a mite (still trying to translate Varroa) and they left to see if they could shake it. Then, this week, when we went to pack the empty hives up until we try again in the spring, we found a few hundred bees had returned to one of the hives. I can’t imagine that such a small number will survive the winter, but we’ve got them a sugar feeder and crossing our fingers.

Our next insect encounter was with the dreaded Rhinoceros Beetle that is systematically destroying so many of the palm trees around the Mediterranean. The beetle is an inch long and up to 2000 new beetles can emerge from an infested palm. Ever since our neighbours lost one of their trees we have been diligent, and it was only an impromptu visit to Trullo Solari when we noticed some drooping fonds on one of our two palms. We returned that day with chain saw and insecticide – our first use in six years of organic gardening – and fought back. As we trimmed the lower branches and sprayed the poison we could hear what sounded like a Doctor Who alien attack as the big bugs munched through our palm. Luckily the next day we returned and the munching had stopped, along with the satisfying sight of dead beetles. Hopefully we’ve saved the palm, although it has a pretty severe short back and sides.

Otherwise we’re ripening pumpkins, cauliflower heads are poking through and the citrus trees are coming in to bloom. We’ve also been gifted a dozen raspberry canes and transplanted some beautiful yellow flowers from our neighbour’s garden that hopefully the bees will love – either this year or next.

We’ll never win the war, but I think the week’s battles went well.

 

Spring cleaning with new friends

We’re busy sprucing up Trullo Solari for the new season.  Our first spring guests are arriving at the end of the month and we’re weeding, gardening and painting ready for everyone to enjoy their Puglia holiday.  We’re also putting the final touches to the new deck, installing the central mosaic and re-treating the wood.

To help us out this year we’re hosting a couple of great volunteers through the Workaway scheme.  In return for board and lodging Liesl and Amy give us five hours hard work a day.  They’re both Americans travelling through Italy.  It’s a great scheme and we’re looking forward to other volunteers coming later in the year; there’s always plenty to do.

Our biggest problem at the moment is the changeable spring weather.  Yesterday an unexpected shower washed half the paint off the wall and on to the patio.  But it’s sunny again this morning, and we’re off to put it back where it should be!  Roll on summer…

 

Olive Harvest

Early November and it is the start of the olive harvest.  We like to pick our olives early; the result is a peppery, grassy, more virgin oil – and the weather is generally better!  This year our olive harvest has been pretty lean.  Olive trees tend to have a two year cycle of being rampant and then being lazy.  Factor into that the need to prune the trees every three years or so, which significantly reduces the harvest for the following year.  Needless to say we haven’t yet perfected the art of getting all these elements lined up!

Olives waiting to be picked.

Still, we picked 160kg of olives over the last 3 days.  We hand pick the olives; spread a huge net under the trees then take it in turns to stand at the bottom and serenely pull the olives down onto the net, or stand on a ladder thrashing wildly at the upper olives with a big stick to whack them down.  Again, picking the olives produces a greener and better oil than letting them fall naturally.  The other important factor is to get them pressed as soon as possible.  Olives are like any fruit and start to deteriorate once they’re off the tree, or if they’re bruised or damaged, so you want your oil made immediately.  Luckily our preferred frantoio (oil press) was on schedule and our olives were pressed last night.  We’ll pick the oil up later this morning…

 

Fave – king of the comfort food

Although the lovely weather is continuing here in Puglia, the evenings are cooler and providing a great excuse for some comfort food.  We even lit the fire the other night, but that really had more to do with somebody’s pyrotechnic tendencies rather than the cold.

With a diet rich in pasta and pulses, comfort food is not hard to come by here.  But a speciality of the area, and a favourite of nearly every visitor I know is Puree di Fave. Fave are broad beans and here you can buy them dried and shelled throughout the year.  If you can find them locally, they need to be without the brown coat and will probably therefore have split into their two halves; they are a very pale, creamy colour.

Making puree di fave is simple.  Soak the fave beans for at least 6 hours, then put the pan on the stove (you can use the top of your woodburner if it’s lit!) and simmer the beans with a sliced potato, for about an hour.  Don’t add salt at this stage.  Plan on about 100g of dried fave per person.  When the beans are soft and breaking up, and the water is almost gone, add about a tablespoon of olive oil per 100g of beans and starting beating with a wooden spoon.  This is when you need to get a friend with a strong arm to help!  Or if you’re not feeling tied to tradition, a handheld electric beater would probably be a good help too.  Also add a teaspoon or two of salt at this stage.

When the puree is smooth, serve with another drizzle of olive oil on top, with a green vegetable – usually chicory here, or grilled peppers.  Twists also include adding cooked prawns, fried croutons or chopped raw onion.

As with many customs in Puglia, the way Fave is served differs from town to town.  One evening a couple of years ago we were out with a group of friends who were discussing the different ways that people from Martina Franca and Ostuni served leftover Fave.  Keith and I looked at each other – What’s leftover fave?!  It doesn’t make it past the first meal in our house!

 

Puglia in September

The madding crowds have gone, the sun’s heat is no longer frying, you can eat at a restaurant without a reservation and find peace on the beach.  August is over, and with it comes one of the loveliest times here in Puglia.  Grape sagras (abundance festivals!) replace the summer concerts, and soon the new season’s wines will be with us…

 

AccuWeather.com – Ostuni, ITALY – 15 Day Weather Forecast – Local Weather Forecasts

It’s hot.  Even Accuweather.com has had to come up with a new symbol for the forecast on Saturday – a melting thermometer!  A shiny sun just wouldn’t cut it.  At least there is some breeze today, although it’s a bit like being blasted with a hairdryer.

Great weather for doing nothing.  Loving the siesta…