I was excited with , and curiously begin at the end of a story, and going against the structure of the writing: surely summarize the “Alora Emotions” in this adventure among olive trees that could live when we went to know this new experience for the senses that you´ll could begin to enjoy in this season that is just beginning.
Reaching a classic Andalusian mountain town in the middle of the Sierra, surrounded by a sea of olive groves with the unique and characteristic “Olives of the Manzanilla Aloreña Variety”, begins to that transports you to the development of your senses, the Smell of the earth, the view of the olive groves, the sound of the air touching the Aloreñas ready to collect and nature in its purest state that presents the sound of its most infinite being.
Till now it is only a brief description of the beginning of our , but the most important thing on this route that we begin to retrace is yet to come.
Punctually José, our Friend and man of the Earth that surrounds us, picks us up in his 4×4 to enjoy a route through the Olives Land that will begin at just 5 minutes with the presentation of an immense and Anciest “Olive Tree” of approximately 1500 years , it leaves you speechless, an imposing majesty, surely that fantastic tree will have served to feed different peoples that will have passed through there like the Phoenicians, Romans, Iberians, Arabs and Spaniards in the last place.
And this was just beginning, Jose presents us with that Amazing tree but he promised us more. With his knowledge, kindness and the interesting stories he was telling us on the tour, showing us the “Well of the Dehesa” of its waters coming from the deep of the mountains, telling us that in a past, when there was transhumance, animals drank in it; He takes us with his 4×4 to the top of a hill to see how these Aloreños grow on stones, looking for small slits between them to stretch their roots and deepen, becoming strong and vigorous.
In a limestone environment, within an amazing olive grove, Jose offers us “Milking” a Manzanilla Aloreño Olive Tree, which is a classic way to harvest the fruit of this variety, which helps to have his DOP and not hurt the fruit, filling our carrycot to prepare at the end of the day “our” olives. Starting the return we take advantage of the spices that nature offers us and we are picking up the Andalusian Thyme and the Fennel bringing flavor and smell to our “milked olives”, and that will serve us to culminate in our dressing workshop led by Jose.
Arriving at the end of our adventure among olive trees, after around 3,5 hours of visit through these incredible lands of Aloreños Olives Trees, Jose takes us to walk through a Centennial Olives area, highlighting some Olive trees of approximately 500 years, hollowed by the olive area so that its “life” will extended and moisture does not corrupt it. Walking through that farm, surrounded by history, olive trees that have seen different generations and cultures and, as the culmination of this trip, we are pleased to enter a “Mozárabe Hermitage” worked on the stone that has been used by the friars of the area.
Before finalizing the tour of our we make a stop at the Olivarera cooperative in the area where we can visit it and learn about the whole olive production process, both for oil and for the table: .
I was excited … smells, flavors, sights, sensations
