A bumper harvest this year with a yield of 300kg of mixed olives; leccino, frantoia and cellina di nardo

This is the second year we combined the pick with our neighbour’s grove of 60 trees. I was delighted that we reaped 120kg from our few trees…the reason perhaps is that we didn’t prune in 2023.

Harvest is an epic day on all fronts. The whole procedure is labour intensive … a bit back breaking actually but the final product of single pressed extra virgin olive oil is so worth it. It’s a social occasion too to rally friends and get stuck in together then sit down to a hearty lunch and in the evening a harvest dinner with plenty of local wine and banter on tap.

We had a team of 7 to lay nets, beat the trees, round up olives in bins and sort/discard stems before being transported to the local press the next day. This years’ batch of Rowley EVOO is robust and luscious with verdant and peppery flavours. These characteristics lend itself to meat dishes, roasted vegetables and dipping with crusty bread. Great for the skin, hair and hands too 🌳