The olive harvest
We built our house on a plot of land which already had an olive grove on it.  There were 26 trees, somewhat neglected, and in dire need of some TLC.  How old they are I have no idea, but some are more productive than others, and all a lot healthier now.  It is a common misconception that there are two types of olive: green and black.  In fact there is only one.  If you want them for the table you pick them while they are still green and unripe.  You then have to reduce the acidity by steeping them in spring water, changing this water every day for about 30 days.  After that you can pack them in jars of brine, perhaps flavoured by herbs or anchovies and leave for some time before eating to be sure they have softened and lost enough of their acidity.  We don't do any of that as it is far too much hassle.  We pick them when they are black and shiny and ripe, for oil.  The picking usually takes place some time between the end of November and early January, and the olives have to be delivered the same day they are picked in order to qualify for the extra virgin label.  Once all the trees are stripped of fruit, they have to be pruned.  Each trunk splits into three and the upward springing branches, known as cocks, have to be removed so that air can reach the centre of the tree.  All the brash has to be burned as olive leaves do not rot down and can cause disease.  Winter is the only time of year we can hold a bonfire in Spain.  Even then we must get a license from the town hall and the guardia locale often call to inspect.  Fire is a serious hazard in these parts.  After that we pray for spring rain and lots of blossom to set next year's crop.

Here is an account of our first harvest.  The routine is much the same each year, except that the yield is improving, and now our friends ring us to ask when the harvest is to take place.  Everyone loves picking day, and we all have great fun.

Our First Harvest:
We began by offering lunch to our friends as a bribe to persuade them to come and help pick..  Twelve of us set about the job on a sunny December day, with temperatures around 13 or 14 degrees, perfect for picking, being neither too hot nor too cold.  We'd been watching our crop carefully this last few weeks, judging the right time to harvest.  The olives  need to go black and swell, and soften a little, although not too much or else they start dropping off the trees.  We worried about the weather, dreading one of our great hoolie winds that blows up the valley, which could strip the trees bare in no time at all.  Fortunately, the weather remained calm.  Large commercial enterprises may use expensive machines to do the job but we did it the traditional way.  When the Spanish pick almonds they hit the branches with sticks, but with olives they strip the branches by hand.  We  spread nets beneath the tree to catch any that drop.  

The ladder looks a bit wobbly here, don't you think?  I finally abandoned it and opted for the branch as a safer bet.  I must say it was the first time I'd climbed a tree in years.  It took me right back to my tomboy days.

We picked 210 kilos of olives in one long morning.  To ensure that they would be classed as extra virgin, we loaded them in our trailer and took them to the cooperativa in the next village that same day.  We joined the queue of trucks and trailers waiting to unload.  Some people with just a few boxes in their car boot, other trucks with great hoppers on the back.

The olives are first tested for their acidity level, then poor David had to lift each sack, weighing about 25 kilos, and tip it over a grid onto a platform.  The weight of our load appears on a computer in the office.  After weighing, this opens and the olives go down a chute then come up the other side on a conveyer belt to be pressed, together with our neighbours' crops.  We were asked if we wanted dinero (money) or aceite (oil).  Since we aren't commercial growers we opted for the latter and came away with 35 litres of extra virgin oil.  our olives passed along a conveyor belt 

Each of our volunteer pickers earned two and a half litres of extra virgin oil, five litres per couple, in addition to an excellent, wine fuelled lunch, so there were no complaints.  Not exactly an economic enterprise, but a fun day.  Tiring, messy and hard work but most satisfying.  David and I picked a further 40 kilos the following day which gained us a further 7 litres, so we have sufficient olive oil to see us through the next twelve months at least.  By the end of the harvesting season we'd picked over 600 kilos, some of it by our Spanish neighbours.  We had so much that we called Paco and his family to help themselves as they are putting their son through university and since he is registered with the cooperativa, can earn a bit extra this way.  We're delighted with out first harvest, have now pruned all the trees and looking forward to next season.

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