A time to harvest olives and a time to harvest grapes

In northern languages ​​there are many words for snow – while we use only 2 different words for it in our language.

If only it would snow and we could go outside to play and enjoy it (in Israel it is practically a state of war stirred by the forces of nature – theroads are blocked, many institutions do not operate…).

On the other hand, in our language we have different words for the action of harvesting, aka picking:picking dates is called גדיד, harvesting grapes is called בציר, we even have a word for harvesting figs into the basket ארייה.

I truly love the smell of ripe figs in summer,when they are almost too ripe and you can smell from a mile away that there is a tree full with purple exploding figs nearby, it reminds me of the musical term “Aria”, but in aromas and flavors). Collecting olives from the tree also has its own name –it is called מסיק.

Apparently, harvesting olives should not be taken for granted.

For instance, the time of harvest varies slightly, it also depends on the geographical location of the tree and whether it received man-made irrigation (irrigated agriculture) or only naturally occurring rain that poured on it from above (i.e. dryland farming).

It turns out that the harvesting method can also vary: I have seen some who pick carefully, with their fingers, someviolentlyshake the entire tree, while others beat the branches with a stick so that the olives fall down on a mat spread out underneath the branches.

Typically, carefulness is employed by those who use the olives for pickling rather than producing oil – so that they remain whole and more beautiful. Some hurry to use the olives whenever a bag is filled, and others store the bags for a day or more. Deciding exactly when to start the harvest is a kind of art: too early, and the amount of oil in the fruit will be relatively low, and so will the weight of the entire crop – too late, and a lot of fruit will be wasted and fall to the ground, which is a shame.

Some farmers prefer to use machines: if the trees are pruned nicely and everyone is ready to harvest, you can use a machine that shakes the trees causing the olives to drop to the ground, or one that sucks them out of the tree and then spits out the leaves.

These methods, in order to increase the percentage of fruit that is ripe at the same moment, sometimes spray chemicals that encourage ripening and allow the fruits to detach easier.

Olive trees do not yield the same amount of fruit every year – they do so alternately (and they also synchronize with each other – meaning that all the trees in the same grove may yield a lush and beautiful crop only once every two years).

Therefore, if you find a beautiful grove, far from the road, on which the trees yeild beautiful and plump olives, do not be surprised if you find a disappointing crop in the following year.

What do you do with the olives you picked? Since they are bitter and not edible as they are, put in a jar, or transport to the nearest olive press to get some olive oil.

For me, this is one of the classic components of our local and fresh diet. Olive oil contains oleic acid, which balances the cholesterol levels (good, bad and ugly) in the blood, and its unsaturated fatty acid ratio is optimal to help the body absorb calcium (from Tahini or example, another basic component of our local diet).

The antioxidants in the oil protect the body's cells from accelerated aging, while its high boiling temperature protects it from an increase in the amount of toxic substances during frying.

To health and Shana Tova!!!

Yours,