Can't Afford a Tuscan Estate? Adopt an Olive Tree Instead
Nearly 25 years ago — when becoming a food writer was still a dream — my extrovert sister dragged me to a book party for Patricia Wells , the famed Paris-based food journalist. I nervously approached her to sign my copy of The Paris Cookbook , and then blurted out: But how did you do this? How do you live in France and have a vineyard? I will never forget her answer. She took my hand and said: “Jane, I’m just a girl from Wisconsin. Someday you’ll have a vineyard too.” She wrote the same thing in my book. It made my heart soar. I still do not have a vineyard. But after reporting a story for The New York Times published last week, I’m thinking a few olive trees might be in my future. The story, They’re Rescuing Olive Trees for More than the Oil , highlights the crisis of abandoned groves in olive-growing regions, from Italy to California. In Italy alone, an estimated 440 million trees are abandoned. Across the Mediterranean, some 5 billion trees are at risk. The movement to rev...
