The olives start green, then become rosy, and finally black. Based on the type of oil you are making, you may have to use a combination of all three types of olives for pressing.
The olive harvest takes place from October through January in the Northern Hemisphere, and from April through July in the Southern.
IlBelice harvest generally starts in early October.
Our Ripe Olives can be harvested by hand, or with a mechanical harvester. For hand-harvesting, crews (+friends and familes!) use ladders to reach the fruit and carefully pick the olives off each branch, tree by tree.
Olives are frequently harvested at night as the cooler temperatures preserve their aromatic flavors.
Bigger olives have more oil content that drops as the olives ripen. Green olives might be bitter but have a longer shelf life and need several months to mellow in flavor. If you are picking olives for oil, go for the ones with a light yellow color.
