Oliving

The olive harvest has apparently begun. Yesterday at the agricultural supply shops we spotted that the big bamboo sticks and the big plastic oil drums had been brought to the front where they would be easy to put into pick-up trucks. But the press is not yet open, so this couple have presumably looked at their trees, checked the weather forecast and concluded that enough people will begin their harvest to prompt the mill to open. Once the olives are in sacks you really don't want them waiting on pallets outside the factory for several days before the owners decide there is enough custom to fire up the machinery.

To do the job properly it is best to clean your land with a brush-cutter first, this will make it easier to drag the coarse nets from tree to tree. The nets are 10 metres by 5 and it is usual to use them in pairs, one on either side of the tree with an overlap. In this case the tree is close to a fence and so the two nets have been placed on either side of the fence. Leaving the nets wrinkled prevents the olives from rolling once they have hit the ground.

It is usual to tie a small rock into each corner of the net, this makes it easier to spread your nets over shrubs where necessary and it also reduces the risk of gusts of wind picking the net up and emptying it. Once you are satisfied that your nets are laid on the ground correctly then begins the task of hitting the branches with a sturdy bamboo pole and at this time of year you can hear the distinctive 'tak-tak-tak' all around. If you have timed your harvest well then a fairly gentle tap will provide a good hefty fall. Too early and the fruit remains securely attached to the tree which then requires a harder whack, bringing down more twigs and leaves with it. Too late and the fruit has already fallen to the ground and begun to spoil.

Before moving the nets to the next tree, the olives caught within them are transferred to breathable olive sacks. It is better to remove any incidental twigs and leaves but not absolutely essential. When it is your turn to empty your sacks at the mill there will be plenty of local witnesses and having too high a proportion of detritus in your sacks is something to be ashamed of. As immigrants we tend to feel under close scrutiny and so we always make sure there are no leaves, we also try to make sure we don't have too high a proportion of green olives.

Harvesting in good weather with a large group of people can be quite a pleasant sociable event, I suppose not unlike the traditional French vendange, although any food consumed is done so sitting on the ground with the food in your lap. It is far more likely however that the weather is cold, windy, perhaps a little drizzly and the whole experience can become quite miserable. I recall one year hearing a family working together on a hillside close to us with a wailing child. His cries were enough to attract a flock of sympathetic seagulls which brought a little sunshine into our day.