Our First Ever Olive Harvest

I first planted olive trees about ten years ago at our old home when I was trying to establish a Mediterranean area in the garden. They flowered a few times but never fruited. Olive trees were some of the earliest trees we planted here, I have a vision of a small olive grove that will at least supply us with table Olives, and in my wilder flights of fancy, Olive Oil as well.
Three years down the track and I have picked my first Olives. All 2 kilos of them! I am sure this will make quite a few jars of delicious olives. At the stage I have washed them, cut a little slit in them and am soaking them in water that will be changed daily for about ten days. Then I will bottle them in a brine. Hope they turn out. Have you ever eaten a raw unprocessed olive? They are truly disgusting. As with many food things I wonder who was the person who discovered you could make them delicious!


Comments

Running Mojo said…
I love reading your blog everyday and am always fascinated with the things i learn!
May 10, 2011 at 4:52 PM
sharleigh.stevenson said…
Impressive little crop! I'm going to start growing capers this year to see how they go. We are going to commercially produce Styrian pumpkins too for their seeds (very yummy oil in salads and dips). We have a couple of olive trees that are loaded with what we have been told are 'oil' olives. The cost of picking them doesn't match the return even for our own use as everyone has olives around here. When we get our own press it might be different.....
May 14, 2011 at 2:42 PM
Anne said…
Hi Sharleigh, I am going to try capers too! A few years ago I went to Salina, home of the caper and thought that they would do well here, have had trouble sourcing the plants though. I have some on order for the spring from this place http://www.caperplants.com/ hope they turn up. I was wondering if there was such as thing as a small olive oil press so we cold evenutally press our own, I think you need a ton to get them pressed around here,
Anne
May 14, 2011 at 3:42 PM
Anonymous said…
you could get dad to make you one?
http://www.justfruitsandexotics.com/JF%20Olives.pdf

x kt
May 16, 2011 at 10:31 PM
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