Harvest
Under the proper conditions, an olive tree will begin bearing
a harvestable amount of fruit at about 4 or 5 years old. e fruit
is borne on panicles, or fruiting branches, that grow from buds
above the point where the leaves join the stem on the previous
season’s growth.
Olive harvest typically begins in mid to late September or
early October. A mature olive at harvest can be completely green
to totally black, depending on the variety. Most fruit are harvest-
ed as they begin to color (Fig. 7).
Some growers delay harvest to allow the crop to reach the
desired size and weight; however, if harvest is postponed too
long, the crop value will be reduced by poor fruit quality.
In most cases, olive crops are removed from the trees by hand.
A harvester moves a cupped, gloved hand down the limb in a
milking action. e olives drop either into a bag or onto a sheet
spread on the ground around the tree.
If you will be using hand harvesters, you must have a well-
trained labor force available to remove the fruit within a 2-week
period. is method harvests about 95 percent of the fruit, with
about 5 percent cullage.
Larger operations must harvest the fruit mechanically, using
a shaker that vibrates the tree and dislodges the fruit. e chal-
lenge is to remove the fruit without damaging it or the tree.
Shakers harvest only about 75 percent of the fruit, with up to 20
percent cullage.
Regardless of how the fruit is removed from the tree, it must
be processed promptly because the fruit deteriorates fast.
When fresh, the fruit is not palatable because it contains
phenolic compounds and oleuropein, a bitter glycoside. To be
used as food, olives must be processed—either pressed for the oil
or treated with lye and salt to produce the canned or preserved
table fruit.
e fruit processed in California has almost all of the bitter-
ness removed; that processed in the Mediterranean basin area
may be left somewhat bitter.
Economic considerations
e high cost of olive oil in grocery stores and the health
benefits associated with eating olive oil have led many to believe
that producing Texas extra-virgin olive oil is lucrative. However,
the costs to produce olive oil are high and the competition fierce.
Depending on the cultivar, it takes from 75 to 125 pounds of
olives to produce 1 gallon of oil.
9