Glimpsing A Day of Fieldwork #3
Some days doing fieldwork occur more dynamic than others. While some days, most of them arguably, occur more routine based, me engaging the everyday work of the people that I collaborate with, following their rhythm alongside that of my own in an attempt to make sense of certain matters of a particular way of doing things in an equally particular context of practice, others occur more intense. Sometimes, some days, multitude occurrences just so happen to take place seemingly all at once, allowing for some days to build up for a much intense experience conducting fieldwork: especially as I wish to miss out on nothing that might be of importance for my work; potently as I wish not risk the opportunity to partake in events nor jeopardize yet to be experienced encounters that might be vital for my research. However little I, in the very moment that any given event takes place, am able to know whether it will or will not be of importance for the research of mine until much later in the process, I eagerly jump on opportunities, allowing myself to get carried away in experiences. Yesterday was such a dynamic day; intense, exciting and insightful as it occured, it is here briefly noted.
The day started as the alarm went off at 4 am sharp, as it was supposed to do today had I not woken up by myself at 3:09 am, and as it does most weekdays (yes, I am early bird kind of person). Writing my diary and working with some notes and pictures from Tuesday, reading some complementary stuff about olive oil quality measurements and regulations, I went for a quick walk in the most stunning of sunrises, settings really, before making myself ready to go to my first appointment of the day. Riding my car for roughly 20 minutes to Fasano, I reach the masseria and olive oil producer of Savoia right about 10 o’clock. Here, I am to partake in harvest with scuotitore, or trunk-shaker as commonly referred to in english, as well as get to converse about a range of olive-oil-related matters of concern. The frantoio is running as I get there, producing lampante oil from olives harvested from the ground the previous day. I am let known that this particular oil will be sold to a company producing a variety of cosmetic products, such as from the biological lampante oil produced by Savoia. I am also let known that a part of the scuotitore has broken just before my arrival and that we in short, as soon as the part is fixed, will go to the orchard for some harvesting of Coratina olives that later in the afternoon, harvested directly from the plant as they are, will become extra virgin olive oil. Waiting for the technical matters to be sorted, informative conversations take place, concerning topics ranging from how the rain the past weeks have affected harvest, via how to evaluate quality of olive oils and cultivating a ‘oil culture‘ to educate consumers, to how the lack of tourism due to Covid-19 have or have not affected commerce presently and in the future. A couple of hours and a great deal of insightful encounters later, I am off to my next research event.
One of the producers with which I work regularly, and which I spent the entire day Tuesday harvesting Ogliarola olives from secular plants with, namely that of Sololio, is this particular day harvesting Cima di Melfi olives for making citrus-infused extra virgin olive oil. I have earlier this day got an image from Giovanni showing how they harvest, but by the time I arrive, they are done engaging harvest-directly-from-plant olives and have initiated from-ground-harvest of olives. The latter method is done using a range of tools, such as rakes and brushes, a hand-carried blower and a sort of riding olive brush collector, and the olives are runned through a separator sorting out olives from leaves and other unwanted materials. Technical problems as already experienced previously this day, also this event comes with some technological disturbances as a chain, vital for the functioning of the separator, seems to be out of order. In spite of Giovanni’s attempts to fix it, the team soon enough realizes that it simply will not work today, the separator that is, for which reason we call it a day and head back to the frantoio.
Once at the frantoio, which is located in the city of Ostuni just a couple of miles from the orchard where harvest took place, the harvesting team go ahead putting all harvesting materials back in the garage while I go to the milling area of the premises. The Cima di Melfi olives to become citrus flavored oil have already been unloaded early afternoon and the oil in its earliest stages of its making upon my arrival. The smell is wonderful, fresh and reminiscent of citrus fruits as it fills up the entire place. Notably imbued by the sensuous experience, one of the mill workers shows me some leftover leaves and crusts lying in a large bin, emphasizing the prevalent profumo with a smile.
The production continues throughout the afternoon, first in making a combined olive oil of 80% Cima di Melfi and 20% citrus fruit for the producer of Sololio, and thereafter in producing an equally citrus infused Ogliarola oil, one containing the same ratio as the formerly mentioned, for the producer of Masseria Brancati (also this a regular research collaborator of mine). My work for the afternoon is to chop up fruits to be added to the machinery ones the olives are to become grinded. The work is partly carried out chatting with Giacomo and Peppino, partly on my own reflecting upon the fact that fresh produce is used in the making of these flavored oils.
Another task of mine, additionally to practically making oils, is to take note of what happens and this by making at once visual and jotted fieldnotes of experiences. While accounting for the practices by and settings in which things take place, noting contextual details using visual and literal means, I am commonly approached with as much curiosity in my work by research collaborators as I am curious about the work of theirs. I am often also approached with freshly pressed olive oil to try, which is a most pleasant perk with the work.
Once the oil of Sololio is done, tasted and finished to be tapped into large tin cans, the one of Masseria Brancati takes place. Having unloaded the Ogliarola olives harvested this forenoon, Corrado, the owner of Masseria Brancati that is, unloads the citrus fruits it is to be infused with, also these, like the olives, harvested this forenoon on the premises of the masseria. Unloaded and weighed, ensuring a 80/20 balance between the two parts constituting this olive oil production in progress, these are the fruits that I get the opportunity to chop.
Also that oil processed and shortly to be enjoyed—such as dressed on my sallad this evening, for another perk with the work of producing olive oils is that I commonly get to eat oil the day of its making, and unlike for instance wine, olive oils are best consumed within a short span of time from date of production—the machinery is getting cleaned, so to prepare for the lampante oil about to become this evening. The time is now 6:30 pm and happy as I would be to partake also in the next oil to be produced, I decide that I have had enough experiences for today and that it is time for me to wrap up, despite the late hours of work still to occur in the frantoio. Importantly, I know that I will have the chance participating in the making of lampante oil the weeks to come.
As I finish up this post, I am simultaneously getting ready for yet another day of fieldwork, today in Castri di Lecce, finally being able to visit Olio Claudio after a month of restrictions preventing movement outside the municipality one lives in. Momentarily allowed to move freely within the region, I cannot wait to spend the day with Giorgio and his team. The intense day of yesterday ended with some processual workings with notes of various kinds, pictorial and literal, and that to a glass of lovely red wine accompanied with the smell of my husband’s cooking (later also the taste of it). Whatever experiences today brings with it, them yet to be encountered, yesterday indeed made for a wonderfully intense day of fieldwork, as well as a most pleasant evening enjoying the tasty rewards of being immersed in the production of olive oils.
