[Tenuta del Barone di Montemurlo](https://www.oliodelbarone.com/en) — Tuscan extra virgin olive oil # The estate journal How the oil is made, when we pick, why certain things show up in the glass. What we learn from standing among the trees. ### [When olives are harvested, and why the date changes everything](https://www.oliodelbarone.com/en/journal/when-olives-are-harvested) In Tuscany we pick between October and November. But inside those six weeks lies the difference between two completely different oils — and the choice is made by the grower, not the calendar. ### [Why new olive oil catches in the throat](https://www.oliodelbarone.com/en/journal/why-new-oil-catches-in-the-throat) Many people taste it and think it has gone off. It is the opposite: that catch is the best part of the oil, and it even has a name. ### [Frantoiano di Montemurlo](https://www.oliodelbarone.com/en/journal/frantoiano-di-montemurlo) On these hills the Frantoio — the most widespread cultivar in Tuscany — has been grown long enough to become something slightly different, with a name of its own. ### [How to tell a good olive oil without being a taster](https://www.oliodelbarone.com/en/journal/how-to-tell-a-good-olive-oil) You do not need a trained nose. Three things on the label and one test you can do in your kitchen in thirty seconds. ### [Can you cook with extra virgin olive oil?](https://www.oliodelbarone.com/en/journal/can-you-cook-with-extra-virgin-olive-oil) Yes, frying included. The belief that it "cannot take heat" is one of the most stubborn misunderstandings about olive oil, and the numbers say otherwise. ### [Buying olive oil direct from the grower: what changes](https://www.oliodelbarone.com/en/journal/buying-olive-oil-direct-from-the-grower) It is not only about price. It is that you know who to call if something is wrong, and you can ask when it was milled. ### [How much oil does an olive tree make](https://www.oliodelbarone.com/en/journal/how-much-oil-does-an-olive-tree-make) The question everyone who has inherited four trees asks. The honest answer starts with "it depends", but the numbers can be given. [All oils](https://www.oliodelbarone.com/en)