a tree resin collected from mastic trees that flourish in the distinct climate of Chios. Just 1 kilogram can retail for about $350. Today, it's known as "white gold" for its presumed health benefits ...

The mastic growers ... can produce a quality resin. But caring for them, making sure they’re established and happy, he said, ...

They’re searching for blobs of hardened white goo: mastic, the natural resin prized since antiquity ... and culminates with harvest and cleaning. Most of this process is done by hand.

The name is associated with the harvesting process. As of August each year, people start carving the bark of the mastic trees. Resin is created to close the trees' wounds, or — more poetically ...