3928 Olive Trees

For Malcolm&Gill, this is probably the most helpful post but as I sad search there are many more hints and tips.

[CENTER][CENTER] [COLOR=black][quote=adriatica]essentially it is quite simple around october / november time when everyone else starts you do too.... there are different types of olives of course.... the bigger ones can be harvested and then stored under liquid..or seeing as you do sun drying leave them out for a couple of months and they will wrinkle up and you can them have them as nibbles with aperitifs...... the smaller ones are used for oil.... your neighbours will be your best experts on what when and how basically you need big nets..... which have a split in to slide up and around the tree.... you then have to comb or rattle the olives off the tree... there are little battery opearted olive picking machines you can buy they girate back and forward and knock the olives off... because they girate so quickly this method requires larger nets as the olives fly around a bit.... combing works well with younger and well maintained trees...... but generally requires climbing into the trees themselves.... lots of accidents every year ... olive picking is dangerous..... if the trees are aincient and large and have not been maintained the easiet way is to buy several pairs of garden gloves and comb them off with your fingers.... last year i got thru several pairs with our own trees and helping neighbours....the olives are then boxed or sacked.... the problem then is that they start to heat up and loose oil.... i would say you need to go every four days or so to the mill...especially if the weather is warm... your olives will be weighed and then milled you will need large plastic containers to carry the oil home in.... and you will pay the mill at each visit... depending on the mill the process can take up to several hours.... you need to have visited the local farm shop before hand and to have bought a stainless steel container with a tap fittin at the bottom they come in various sizes from about 20 lts up...
you will need a cantina which remains cool to store the oil in... you will need machinery to caryy the boxes away from the trees and to then transport to the mill although some mills send lorries around
how we work it is that i help neighbours....everyone needs a hand at olive picking time and then they help me.... that way you learn...you help....you make friends and you then get your oil.... we have few trees and because i work longer for the neighbours they pay me with oil
an olive picking day also consists of various meals and drinks of wine....so make sure you have those ready for neighbours if they help.... best to help another neighbour yourself first and get the idea
the same will apply with the pruning of the trees ...help the neighbours tthey will help you
i might well have left something out but really its not that difficult ...it does take time and it is tiring.... oh yes ...if your olives are on a hill you will need canes to stake on the low side of the nets to stop them rolling away
two of you working hard will pick your fifty trees in about 3 or 4 days... this will vary on the crop and your trees of course... as i say be careful.... accidents happen a lot.... dont overstretch for that last elusive olive....let the birds have it
good luck....[/quote][/COLOR][/CENTER][/CENTER]