A quarter cup a day keeps the doctor away! That’s the adage that our friend Giacomo‘s father lives by and he’s in his nineties.

A quarter cup of what, you ask? OLIVE OIL. Signor’ Martini actually drinks it—in addition to what he typically drizzles over every meal, every day of his life. In ancient Greece, Homer called it liquid gold because of the countless benefits: heart, skin, medicines, rituals and much more. You name it. And that doesn’t even count the spiritual boost that comes from harvesting the olives by hand. It’s truly a meditation. Somehow, the gift of longevity is linked to the magic and mystery of the albero olivo, olive tree as far back as double digit centuries. Evidence like that is hard to ignore or deny.

We’ve written about oil and the process of harvesting a few times before. Why not, when it’s such an important part of Italian life and culture. During the month of November, the oil harvest is THE topic of conversation. Well, it’s that time again and this autumn has been very, very good to us. In spite of a dry summer, our beautiful little olive trees didn’t let us down. Like magic, those tiny little green, maroon and black gems have been transformed into Homer’s liquid gold once again, and we’re extremely grateful.

Taking what might appear to be an unnecessary risk, living on the edge, we just had to take a picture for you. They say it’s best to keep it out of direct light, but we’re not worried. Here you can see the morning light embracing a fresh new bottle of oil. At 7 pm last night we picked up our harvest from Giacomo‘s cantina, cellar. Imagine, little nuggets of fruit pressed into a rich, opaque, green magic potion. That one-liter bottle will be gone before any harmful sunlight has a chance to reach the center of that golden elixir. In fact, we’ll probably eat lunch a little early, just so we can drizzle it over pasta . . . or bread . . . or  salad . . . or whatever.

Today’s story is short because the oil speaks for itself. Take it directly from the Italian nonno e nonna, grandfather and grandmother. You don’t necessarily have to start drinking oil from your Nalgene bottle throughout the day, but it wouldn’t hurt to treat your body to the wonders of one of Nature’s remedies for all that ails you—simply drizzle it over your favorite foods. After all, who wouldn’t take a drink from the fountain of youth?  Well, today may be your lucky day. Drink up and be hearty! May you be healthy, happy and as beautiful as a Tuscan flower.

Note: You may also enjoy seeing more of Giacomo’s cantina, and a video called “Loose Wine.”