• Home
  • Posts RSS
  • Comments RSS
Blue Orange Green Pink Purple



“To my mind, the greatest reward and luxury of travel is to be able to experience everyday things as if for the first time, to be in a position in which almost nothing is so familiar it is taken for granted.” – Bill Bryson


Many life experiences have led me to this place and time… join me as I spend a summer in a small village in Greece where generations of my family have lived and where I now hope to put down a few roots. Along my journey I will write letters to you to share my experiences and hopefully inspire you to create your own wherever you live or travel…
Dear Friend,

Our neighbor brought us two jars of homemade olives the other day. Many people in the village either harvest olives from their yard or own a parcel of land elsewhere in the village. My Aunts owned land with olive trees and harvested their own. They ate the olives, cooked with and made soap from the oil. Olives and Olive Oil could also be sold and provide as income. Olives are harvested once in the winter and once in the summer. Many people in the village will take off time from work to help with the harvest. Olives for eating are picked by hand sorted through to remove those that are bruised. Each olive is then sliced on three sides. They are then soaked in water for 20 days with the water being replaced each day because it becomes quite bitter. Then, the olives are rolled in salt and left for two days. The salt is brushed off and they are then soaked in vinegar for another two days. Finally, the olives are stored in containers steeped in olive oil and must remain covered with oil to remain fresh. The olives harvested here in Arfara and Kalamata (15 km away) are the olives found in a Greek Salad. We have been enjoying ours on salads and right out of the jar!

XOXO,

Karen June


Homemade Kalamata Olives
from our neighbor Maria


Olive Oil Soap made by my Aunts


Urn for Storing Olives
(Sitting on the Outdoor Oven)



Read More 0 comments | Posted by Karen June | edit post

0 comments



Post a Comment

Newer Post Older Post Home

Letters From Arfara

  • About
      I am a wife, mother and artist living in the Boston area. My adventurous spirit is taking me to a small village in Greece this summer to experience my heritage, a closer bond with my son, creative freedom and anything else that comes my way. Friends and family will join me along the way and I hope you’ll join me too through this blog…
  • Search



  • Letters From Arfara

    Subscribe to Site

    Get Email Updates - Enter your email address:

    Delivered by FeedBurner





    • Home
    • Posts RSS
    • Comments RSS
    • Edit

    © Copyright Letters From Arfara. All rights reserved.
    Designed by FTL Wordpress Themes | Bloggerized by FalconHive.com
    brought to you by Smashing Magazine

    Back to Top