When is mediterranean olive harvest season

Farmers sometimes have to resort to primitive means—mules and donkeys—in order to transport the fruit from field to mill. During the length of the harvest olive oil mills work around the clock. The ties between the farmer and the olive mill owner usually go back many years. This is another one of the beauties of olive oil in Greece—from field to mill there is always something personal in all the production stages: pride in the sturdy olive-laden trees of a particular grove, mutual understanding that picking has to get on as fast as possible, common pleasure of farmer and mill owner alike over a fresh batch of well-picked, healthy olives.

Finally, as the olives are pressed and their rich and delectable juice pours out of the spout, the traditional way of sampling the first young oil is to run a piece of toasted bread under it. Heated arguments are exchanged over its fruitiness, its mellowness, and its low acidity. Keep olives pruned to a manageable harvest height. Pests and diseases. Olives have few pest and disease problems apart from birds that eat ripe fruit.

Keeping trees healthy and pruned will reduce risk of disease and insects. Olives come to harvest in late autumn and winter about six months after flowering. Olives can be harvest green, unripe, or black, ripe. Olives can not be eaten directly from the tree; they contain a bitter alkaloid. Fresh olives can be crushed to make oil. Olives for table consumption must be cured before they can be eaten.

Black olives can be cured by brining: ripe black olives are soaked in a salt solution for at least 3 weeks or in water that is changed daily for 7 to 10 days. The olives are then heated in boiling water, drained and cooled; this process is repeated three times after which vinegar and salt and other spices are added to pickle the fruit.

Green or near-ripe olives are cured via soaking in a series of lye solutions; they are then washed with clean water and transferred to a mild salt solution. Pruning Olive Trees. Your email address will not be published.

Post Comment. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed. Please check settings. Lye for curing olives should be available at a nearby grocery store or restaurant supply house. Check with a grocer or produce manager near you. It was interesting to read that olives grow best in Mediterranean-type climates. The equipment needed for harvesting olives will likely depend on the number of trees to be harvested.

If you have a few olive trees growing in the backyard you will probably want a handheld harvest rake and a harvest apron or bucket that you can wear around your waist. Visitors can also adopt olive trees. In return, they get a certificate with information about the olives the trees produce, plus a sample of the olive oil made from the adopted trees every year thereafter.

At the end of the harvest, there is a huge feast and a celebration to reward the efforts of all those who have helped. You can visit olive museums located across the country to get acquainted with the history of the olive tree, its cultivation in the Mediterranean basin, and its connection to Greek culture.

Follow htlifeandstyle for more. Greece during olive season: Travellers looking for an interactive holiday and a true taste of rural living must visit Greece during the harvest season from October to December to enjoy a unique immersive experience. Share Via. Get our Daily News Capsule Subscribe. Thank you for subscribing to our Daily News Capsule newsletter.