The story of life on a French olive farm continues with this moving memoir of hard work, hard luck, and waiting for the return of happiness. Carol Drinkwater and her husband, Michel, arrive at their villa in Provence in anticipation of another glorious summer. Unfortunately, they find the farm unkempt and suffering from lack of rainfall. When their gardener, Monsieur Quashia, finally shows up, he cheerfully explains the shed-building project he’s working on as a surprise for them—a surprise that will send their expenses skyrocketing. But there are bigger problems to come than wild boars tearing through fences and other everyday challenges of farming. After a terrifying accident in Monte Carlo and a hospital stay, Michel is barely functional, and Carol soon realizes she must fend for herself. Burdened with problems from a financial reversal to the threat of nearby wildfires, she will experience firsthand the uncertainties that have plagued farmers since the dawn of agriculture—and hold on to hope that in the end, nature will provide. “A storyteller of great economy and deftness.” —The Telegraph

When Carol Drinkwater and her fiancé, Michel, are given the opportunity to purchase ten acres of an abandoned olive farm in the South of France, they find the region's splendor impossible to resist. Using their entire savings as a down payment, the couple embark on an adventure that brings them in contact with the charming countryside of Provence, its querulous personalities, petty bureaucracies, and extraordinary wildlife. From the glamour of Cannes and the Isles of Lérins to the charm of her own small plot of land-which she transforms from overgrown weeds into a thriving farm-Drinkwater triumphantly relates how she realized her dream of a peaceful, meaningful life.

A story about the harvest traditions that have been shared among Palestinian farmers for centuries. The story takes the reader's imagination on a journey, starting from how the olives are picked, through how they are pressed into oil, bottled and finally arrive in the consumer's hands. Along the way the reader shares in this festive working atmosphere filled with singing, eating, love and laughter portrayed from the eyes of a child.

“A lovely balance of memoir, travelogue and olive-growing how-to . . . Some of her adventures are quite funny.” —Publishers Weekly In this memoir, the author of The Olive Farm returns to the ten-acre property for which she and her fiancé scraped together their savings to buy—just back from their wedding on a tiny Polynesian island, loaded down with luggage and a large hand-painted didgeridoo. As Carol and Michel settle in as husband and wife, they experience the glamor of southern France at dinner parties in the company of aristocrats and at the world-renowned Cannes film festival, as well as the dirt-caked, sun-baked life of farmers—especially after their gardener heads to Algiers to arrange his youngest son’s wedding. For Carol, though, what matters most is that her longtime dream of motherhood finally promises to come true—and over the course of The Olive Season, she shares the story of her hopes and fears as she anticipates another kind of growth and nurturing. Alternately entertaining and emotionally poignant, this memoir is a rich portrait of love, longing, and the constant uncertainties of the cycle of life.

A witty and warm-hearted memoir of abandoning fast-paced American days in favor of discovering the Italian secrets of food, community, and life. Moving across the globe meant Michelle Damiani soon found herself untangling Italian customs, delighting in glorious regional cuisine (recipes included), and creating lasting friendships. From grandmothers eager to teach the ancient art of pasta making, to bakers tossing bread into fiery ovens with a song, to butchers extolling the benefits of pork fat, Il Bel Centro is rich with captivating characters and cultural insights. Throw in clinking glasses of Umbrian red with the local communists and a village all-nighter decorating the cobblestone streets with flower petals; as well as embarrassing language minefields and a serious summons to the mayor’s office, and you have all the ingredients for a spellbinding travel tale. Exquisitely observed, Il Bel Centro is an intimate celebration of small town Italy, as well as a thoughtful look at raising a family in a new culture and a fascinating story of finding a home. Ultimately though, this is a story about how travel can change you when you’re ready to let it. With laugh-out-loud situations and wanderlust-inspiring storytelling, Il Bel Centro is a joyous and life-affirming read that will have readers rushing to renew their passports. “This is one of the most beautiful book I’ve ever read.” “I absolutely couldn’t get enough of this book.” “This book made me want to pack my bags.” “I loved, loved this book. Fabulously written, engaging, and entertaining.” “A magical read.”

This bestselling manual is the definitive guide to olive production in California. This 180-page manual is fully illustrated with 40 tables, 19 line drawings, and 36 charts, and 100 color and black and white photos. The most notable additions to this edition include a new chapter on deficit irrigation, a greatly expanded chapter on olive oil production, and coverage of four new pests, including the olive fly. Includes production techniques for commercial growers worldwide - from orchard planning and maintenance to harvesting and postharvest processing. Contains information on pollination, pruning for shaker and vertical rotating comb harvest, mechanical pruning, deficit irrigation, mechanical harvesting methods including trunk-shaking and canopy contact harvesters, postharvest handling and processing methods, and olive oil production. Also includes information on new pests including olive fly, oleander scale, olive mite, and black vine weevil.

What readers are saying about this books: "I could not put this book down and despite a mountain of jobs to do I kept convincing myself ''just one more chapter''." "How brave, or was it foolhardy? Sabina and Robert set off to a country they didn''t know and a language that they didn''t speak - could this be a recipe for disaster or an amazing adventure? I gasped and laughed and almost cried at various points in their story. Do read it you won''t be disappointed and the good news is that there is more, as this is only the first year!!!" "I was transported to another place that was idyllic and yet took perseverance and determination to survive." "Sabina describes the local area and people with great passion, bringing everything to life for the reader. Adapting to a new way of life in rural Andalusia, throwing themselves into learning the ways of the village, embarking on harvesting their olive trees, delighting at the production of their own olive oil. Harvesting and learning how to preserve figs and tomatoes, there is never a dull moment. No matter the hardships encountered, they still manage to see the humorous side of life." "I loved this book and found the trials and tribulations of Sabina and Robert really interesting. It was so well written and had some really humorous parts. I felt quite sad when I finished the book and I''m looking forward to the next instalment." "What happens if you take two city dwellers, living in the UAE, and transplant them to a ruin in rural Andalucía? Answer: The Crinkle Crankle Wall. Although I live 1000km north of Sabina in a totally different part of Spain, her descriptions of rural life and the characters which populate their tiny rural town struck a strong chord. Language problems, fitting in with the neighbours and renovation nightmares all struck home and I enjoyed following a similar yet very different story of moving to Spain." from Lisa Rose Wright the author of Plum, Courgette & Green Bean Tart: A year to write home about - Seeking la vida dulce in Galicia After years of dreaming of living close to nature, free from a daily commute and noisy neighbours, Sabina and Robert decide to travel from Abu Dhabi to Spain in search of their dream home. As soon as they drive across Andalusia, they fall in love with its rugged beauty, whitewashed villages, red geraniums, giant aloes, and endless olive trees. After weeks of visiting ruins and dilapidated sheds advertised as homes, they find a little stone cottage in a mountain valley in the middle of nowhere. Equipped with everything that a romantic soul desires: a patio shaded by grape vines, an ancient bay leaf tree, and a formidable oak in front of a long driveway, they fall in love with this property and decide to reform it into a guest house. With little foresight or planning, they exchange cushy expats lives for a life in the sun. Quite quickly, however, they find themselves battling cowboy builders, no electricity, a dry well, torrential rain storms, and a freezing cold winter without a roof over their heads. Through all these adventures, they develop relations with their neighbours who had lived in the valley for many generations. Puzzled by the strangers'' behaviour, the neighbours teach them about olive picking, and the cultivation of local vegetables. But primarily, they offer their endless generosity and insight into life in rural Andalusia. As they begin to settle in, financial problems confront our somewhat naïve couple. Without steady pay checks and construction bills piling up, their idea of the good life starts to fall apart. Written with a wry sense of honest humour, this story is filled with twists and turns that take the reader on a journey from a life where every day was monotonously repetitive to a place where every day presents a new challenge.

Sitti's Olive Trees is the story of the olive harvesting season in Palestine. Sitti shares the beautiful tales of her ancestors planting and caring for their precious olive trees with Reema, her granddaughter in the U.S., and the unique culture and hard work that goes into olive picking season. This heart-warming tale is a celebration of culture, family, and storytelling.

The author of acclaimed memoirs about life on a French olive farm explores the larger history and culture of the Mediterranean delicacy. Carol Drinkwater has a passion for olive trees and the fruit they bear—“bitter berries” that are transformed into savory delights and pressed into precious oil. Already intimately familiar with the fruit thanks to her olive farm in the South of France, she decided to travel throughout the Mediterranean basin—from Marseille to Malta, Israel to Tunisia—in a quest to learn about their ancient history, their spread throughout the world, and the tastes and traditions they represent. A culinary travelogue and a celebration of a humble, healthful food that inspires devotion among so many, The Olive Route is filled with unusual characters and fascinating anecdotes from “a storyteller of great economy and deftness” (The Telegraph). “Drinkwater has a sharp eye for character, and the people who populate The Olive Route will not disappoint her fans.” —The Independent

Winner of the James Beard Award Until one stops to notice, an olive is only a lowly lump at the bottom of a martini. But not only does a history of olives traverse climates and cultures, it also reveals fascinating differences in processing, production, and personalities. Aficionados of the noble little fruit expect miracles from it as a matter of course. In 1986, Mort Rosenblum bought a small farm in Provence and acquired 150 neglected olive trees that were old when the Sun King ruled France. He brought them back to life and became obsessed with olives, their cultivation, and their role in international commerce.