Olive Harvest

Greetings,

Winter is the time for olive picking. Due to its mild climate, Crete is an ideal place for olive trees. Thousands of families make a living from cultivating olive oil. The climate and the composition of the Cretan soil guarantee the fine aroma and superb flavour of the Cretan olive oil, which is internationally acknowledged for its high quality.

The olive harvest period starts in November and lasts till March. The olives are ready to be picked when the fruit is 3/4 ripe…. that is the olive should be purple or close to black. If it is allowed to ripe fully the quality of the olive oil deteriorates as the acidity increases. This results in a fast harvest when the weather conditions allow it. The weather should NOT be windy or rainy, which is the season we are entering.

Years ago the harvest was done by the traditional way with long wooden sticks that the farmers used to hit the olives. Another form of olive harvesting is with small handheld plastic "combs" that comb the olives off the branches. The men of the household would literally beat or comb the olives out of the tree. The women and children would then gather the dropped olives from nets on the ground. The olives were placed in a sack and ready for the milling process.

Today, in Crete the olive harvest is mechanical. Special nets or big pieces of synthetic fabric are placed under the trees. Still the men operate the harvesters. It is very common for relatives and friends to help each other for the olive harvest. Everything is done efficiently and fast because the whole procedure is weather dependant and weather in the winter is rarely good.

The harvesters consist of a portable generator and a T-shape rod with elastic sticks attached to it. The rod is 2-3 meters long and it is connected to the generator. The head of the rod rotates fast and the elastic sticks hit the olives and throw them on the nets under the tree. When almost all olives have been harvested from a tree, then they proceed to the next tree.

Harvesting starts early in the morning and lasts till late afternoon with a noon break for lunch. With 70% of all production in Greece being Extra Virgin Olive Oil, it is not a quantity but a quality. Cretans take pride in the harvesting of olives. Their oil has to come out perfect.

It has been an educational experience for us to observe an aspect of Greeks pride in family traditions. Nearly every family has a vineyard and an olive orchard.

Last year my experience of the olive harvesting consisted of the oily roads. Recently arriving we did not understand the harvesting significance. All we knew was to be careful on the roads. Olive harvesting makes the already treacherous roads even more dangerous. The oil saturates the roads and is a deadly mixture with the winter rains.

But this year I have a different appreciation for the harvesting process. Since we have been here a year now….my newly acquired palette and an appetite for olive oil love the process. Like the Greeks…we use it for everything. There is nothing like the scrumptious taste of freshly pressed olive oil. So when some of you receive Christmas gifts of local olive oil.....know there is a family cultural tradition inside each bottle.

Blessings for the harvest,

Kristie