HOW TO HAVRVEST OLIVES TO OBTAIN THE BEST OIL

We all like the taste of olives and olive oil. I find the whole process fascinating: from the moment when the olive tree starts sprouting its first leaves, to the time it bears its first fruits. Everything needs patience, but the first harvest of an olive tree that you have watched grow from nothing is an enormous pleasure. Contemplating this made me think of telling you today about how olives are harvested to obtain a delicious, high quality olive oil.

THE RIGHT TIME

In order to determine that olives are ready to be picked, the fruit must have reached its maximum size without changing color. The optimal picking moment is when they are still green, that’s when you can extract the finest oil with the best quality and flavor.

In the warmest regions of Europe, the perfect time for ripened olives is the end of October. For colder areas, November is usually one of the main months for picking.

HOW OLIVES ARE HAVRVESTED AT THE BEST TIME

One of the best ways of harvesting olives is by tree-shaking. The trunk of the tree is shaken so that the olives that are ready fall from the olive tree. A net is placed underneath so that the fruits do not hit the ground. This is one of the methods that guarantees a quality oil.

To be sure to achieve a quality oil, the ideal option is to harvest the olives by hand. Each fruit ripens in its own time, and picking them by hand ensures that the fruits are at just the right moment of ripening. This is how olives are harvested for our Carapelli extra virgin olive oils. Picking the best olives by hand, one by one, helps to achieve a premium quality oil.

This is why our oils are a work of art: each harvested olive can be considered a brushstroke for creating the perfect canvas. It is a method that takes time but its wonderful aroma, its texture, its flavor and its premium quality are indisputable.