Olive Harvest

A mesh blanket it set one at a time under each tree, and the olives are raked by hand onto the blanket to be collected. The olives are a blend of black, red and green fruit, which gives the olive oil the right balance of flavor and space. The Italian word for harvest is Raccolta or the collection. When the olives are perfectly ripe, it takes some work to get them off the tree. That is why some other regions in Italy and throughout the Mediterranean pick much later in the year. The olives are easier to harvest, but they have lost their freshness and the right balance of spice. In some regions, they actually let the olives fall to the ground — months later. The resulting olive oil lacks flavor and body and is almost “fatty”.