History and Mythology
The olive tree has been a symbol of peace and hope for centuries and features in many myths and legends in Greek Literature. Even today we talk of holding out an olive branch, as a gesture of goodwill and peace. When you consider the Uses of the olive tree it is not surprising that it is so highly regarded. Olive trees can live to a great age and olives and olive oil, form a major part of the Greek diet.All parts of the olive tree can be used and this fulfils the basic needs for survival.
In the past, owning olive trees was considered a sure route to independence and freedom from starvation.
Fruit
In the past, owning olive trees was considered a sure route to independence and freedom from starvation. Most olives are used for the preparation of oil. However, eating olives are used as hors d'ouvres, garnish and in a variety of dishes, throughout the world. olives cannot be eaten until they've been processed to remove bitterness and to soften the fruit.
Olive wood
Olive wood collected after harvest is generally between 3 and 12 cm diameter. The wood is pale inside with an even texture and no heartwood. It burns with a clear flame and is excellent fuel. Now that most homes have electricity, collecting wood is less important and the cost of collecting and preparing can outweigh the market value. It is satisfying to collect your own supply to last through the winter though and a neat woodpile is a nice feature of any smallholding.Larger, older branches and tree trunks have an inner core of "heartwood", with very attractive and unusual veining and colouring. The fine texture and marbled appearance make the wood very suitable for decorative woodwork. It can be used as a veneer but is more often found as small, turned or carved objects such as spoons and bowls. Olive wood doors are beautiful and the carved wood can be found in churches. There is little local manufacture in the Methoni area though.
Leaves
Goats enjoy eating the young leaves and can look forward to a treat after the olive harvest. The thin, leathery, losenge shaped leaves contain oil and burn quickly, even when freshly cut. Some olive grove owners burn the brnaches and leaves as soon as they have harvested the olives while others leave the branches through the winter so that the leaves fall and give back some goodness to the soil.
Olive Oil - for cooking
Olive oil is indispensible in Greek cooking. The finest oils are used as salad dressings, and in cake-making, as well as as eaten with fresh bread or bread soaked in oil and heated, with oregano added. As a cooking oil, Olive Oil enhances flavour and is considered more nutritious than many other oils and fats.
Olive Oil for healing
Olive oil is said to have healing properties and is certainly soothing for scratched arms after harvesting lemons or as a lotion before and after sun. It is added to jars of prepared olives, forming a top layer which prevents airborne contaminants from spoiling the fruit.
Olive oil for lighting
Olive oil is not highly flammable but burns slowly when provided with a wick. Place about 3 cm water in a small glass tumbler, and add a similar amount of oil which will float on top. place a prepared wick (purchased in Greece with a metal capped cork circle) carefully on the surface of the oil. Light the wick with a match or lighter and place the lamp well away from any flammable objects. It will burn gently with a small yellow flame similar to a small candle or tea light.
Olive oil as a lubricant and restorative
Not perhaps a conventional use, but can be used for cleaning shoes and adding a shine to wooden objects and furniture.
Olive seeds
The olive seed or "pit" is removed when olives are prepared or oil is made. Following the crushing process at the olive factory, the oil is separated from the solid matter which is then dried. It is stored in heaps outside the factory and used as fuel to run the factory.
Care of olive trees
The Care of olive trees is a topic of intense interest for growers throughout Greece. Basic care consists of:
Annual harvest - sometime between November and February but not while it is raining! Newly cut branches are more susceptible to pest attack.
Fertilising - after harvest
Removing sawn branches and other debris, keeping wood for fires or burning it onsite - after harvest.
Pruning to remove unwanted twiggy growth to allow light to the inside of the tree - Spring
Spraying top prevent infestation by "dakos" the olive fly. This was carried out on behalf of the whole community, however, organic growers need to exempt themselves and there is a move to more natural ways of reducing infestation.
Tilling or mowing to leave the ground with low or no groundcover during the hot, dry summer months - May-June
Every grower has his or her own ideas on the correct care of the trees and this varies with the type of tree, soil type, light availability, provision of nutrients, and weather conditions.
The Trigono-Lamda Groves comprise more than a hundred trees, the best crops being produced at the Lamda and Delta groves.
Eating (Table) Olives
Large black Kalamata "eating" olives are picked by hand throughout October and processed in brine. The process is time-consuming:
The olives "pits" are removed by slicing vertically and prising out the stone
The olives are then washed and placed in a plastic container in brine.
The brine solution is changed frequently, usually daily, so that the bitterness is removed from the olives over a period of two months or more.
The olives are then transferred to storage jars and kept in a brine solution, sometimes with herbs, or orange added, and with a layer of oilive oil on top which protects the contents from air.
Olive oil factories open in November and at Trigono-Lamda we aim to complete the main Olive Harvest by mid December. The small olives can be picked green or as they turn brown. I prefer green, since the colour is attractive and the flavour is sharper.
Olives harvested for Olive oil production are usually harvested mechanically, over a period of days or weeks depending on the size of the grove. The process is increasingly mechanised but GreeK growers with large, old trees are at a disadvantage compared with those harvesting from specially grown dwarf trees where the latest equipment can mechanically shake the trees and collect the olives.