Harvesting Olives

We had three olive trees, two of which had been planted in the half shade between some tall trees and the sunlit side of the house. As a result, they grew at an oblique angle and only on the side facing the light. We sold them in the spring and are hoping they are happy in their new home on a sunlit meadow. The third one is quite large and has several trunks. After cutting it back repeatedly it is quite full of olives this year which we will harvest in November with ladder and bucket. Since they are too small to get any good eating out of them we’ll take them again to the local oil press. In December we will then be able to pick up a bottle of olive oil at a very good price. Win:win all around.

Dreaming of La Lucque

Since one is always allowed to dream, I dream of having my very own Lucques olives. But alas, I won’t be fulfilling this dream. I would need to plant at least two trees (Lucques is self-sterile) and although I always find a spot for yet another plant, a six-foot tree is another thing altogether. I would also need several years more patience than I have. And I would likely need way too many chemical aids, since Lucques is not all that disease-resistant and prone to olive fruit fly, sooty mold and Verticillium dahliae. So it’s much easier to just buy another jar of these large, fleshy olives with their wonderful, sweet, avocado-buttery aroma.