Springtime splendor: The magic of May
Queen of months, supremely fair,
Cloth'd with garments rich and rare,
None in beauty can compare
With thee, sweet May.
Peter Burn, Ode to May (1871)
There’s no season that slips away faster—or means more while it lasts—than spring.
It’s not still like winter or lazy like summer. The season has an urgency about it, full of promise unfolding right before your eyes. One moment it’s bare branches and cold soil, and the next, the world is bursting with possibility. Maybe that’s why spring feels so alive and exciting. It’s the one you want to hold on to, because you know you can’t.
Whether I’m walking in the hills above the Santa Ynez Valley or through the countryside of Tuscany, there is no mistaking the season. Even with eyes closed, without the magnificent sights of rolling green fields and brightly colored poppies under the bluest of skies, I can feel it is spring. Something in the air, always the same: a very physical sense that things are happening. And that includes our trees.
Here in the grove, this moment is marked by inflorescence—the quiet explosion of blossoms that tells us what kind of harvest we can expect in the fall. It begins subtly, with tiny fruiting shoots appearing where leaf meets branch. From these grow panicles, the tiniest of stems, each holding between 15 and 30 buds that will bloom into delicate white flowers. The process begins in late March or early April, and by May the grove shimmers under a veil of diaphanous blossoms—up to 500,000 per mature tree. But only a few of the flowers will produce fruit. Just 1% to 2%, in fact. The rest scatter in the late afternoon breezes, their work complete.
And yet, that’s part of what makes the phenomenon beautiful: it’s always changing. Daily walks in the grove, over a period of weeks, attest to this slow almost imperceptible process, and no two days are the same. Varieties bloom at different times, so with nine Italian cultivars in the grove, each morning reveals a new stretch of trees in bloom The whole season is a living mosaic— in motion yet fleeting.
As we marvel at what’s beginning, we’re also proud to share what has just been bottled.
Our new 2024 Extra Virgin Olive Oils—shaped by last year’s spring conditions—are now available and already decorated with Best in Class and Gold Medals at some of the world’s most prestigious competitions. These accolades mean a great deal to us. They validate the choices we made in the grove and at the mill, but they also challenge us. Each harvest and each new oil teach us something about what can be better: in balance, in timing, in patience. Every award is a recognition but also a responsibility to carry on the good work. We’ll take those lessons into the next harvest, with the hope that what is beautiful now becomes something even more remarkable next year.
Spring brings that same sense of momentum into the kitchen. It’s hard not to feel a little more ambitious when the garden wakes up. The soft greens of asparagus and fresh climbing pea shoots, the brightness of lemon and mint—they nudge you to try something just a little more alive and perhaps even a bit whimsical. Maybe even to make a run to the coast, pick up some shrimp and build something satisfying from what’s right here, right now. With so much bounty springing up in the garden, things in my kitchen tend to be less structured and a bit more relaxed. This weekend I’m making a simple spring risotto that captures the flavors of the season without having to adhere to the strict guidelines of a recipe. As with olive oil, freshness is key, so go ahead and try this simple dish, adjusting flavors according to what surprises you in your garden or local farmstand.
Image courtesy of Allison Wu
Spring Risotto with Asparagus, Peas, Mint, and Shrimp
Arborio rice
Spring peas (fresh or frozen)
Asparagus, trimmed and sliced
Shrimp, peeled and deveined
Fresh mint and lemon zest
Luretík Extra Virgin Olive Oil (we suggest Sicily for its grassy snap)
-Sauté the shrimp in olive oil and set aside.
-Briefly sauté the trimmed asparagus and remove from the heat when they are still crisp and vibrant green.
-In a separate pot, make your risotto base by sauteing a finely chopped onion in a equal parts olive oil and butter. Add the rice and stir briefly until the rice is coated. Add white wine, stirring, and when it is absorbed, begin adding vegetable or fish broth, patiently stirring, ladling, and coaxing the starches out of the rice.
-Once the liquid has been absorbed, add the asparagus and peas toward the end so they stay vibrant.
-Finally the shrimp, lemon zest, a handful of torn mint.
-Finish with a generous pour of oil.
Serve it while it’s hot and green and just a little unruly—just like spring!
Mignolatura - The budding stage. It specifically refers to the period when small clusters of flowers, called "mignole," develop from the floral buds of olive trees, typically between mid-March and early May.