What time of year do you pick olives?

Harvesting generally takes place from mid-autumn to early winter. For green olives, pick your fruit when it turns from dark green to light green, or you can wait for them to turn black, but still firm, for black olives.

Are olives harvested every year?

Why do olive trees only produce fruit every 2 years (is there a scientific name for this?) Answer: Some varieties of olives will alternate year bear if left to their own devices. This can be prevented by proper fertilizing, pruning and culling.

Where in California are olives grown?

followed by Italy and Greece [3]. California is the only important olive growing state in the US. California olive production is mostly in the San Joaquin and Sacramento valleys, although some acreage is reported throughout California [9].

What are early California olives?

Early California Simply Olives are fresh cured with just sea salt and water!

How do you prepare olives straight from the tree?

Brining the Olives Combine 1 part salt to 10 parts water and pour over the olives in a bowl or pot. Weigh them down with a plate and let sit for 1 week. Drain the olives and repeat the brining process for another week. Do this two more times so they brine for about a month or so.

How often can you harvest olives?

Harvesting olive trees may begin as early as late August and will continue through November depending upon the region, variety and desired ripeness. They are picked for both eating and processing into oil, so the degree of ripeness is important and a factor in the timing of harvest.

Are olives a fruit or vegetable?

Fruit
Olive/Fruit or Vegetable

What are California black olives?

When making black ripe olives, oxygen is constantly bubbled through the tanks and around the olives during the whole curing process. This turns them a deep, uniform black color. The process for making green ripe olives is exactly the same , except that no oxygen is introduced to the tanks during curing.

Can you eat an olive straight off the tree?

Are olives edible off the branch? While olives are edible straight from the tree, they are intensely bitter. Olives contain oleuropein and phenolic compounds, which must be removed or, at least, reduced to make the olive palatable.

When is the best time to harvest olives in California?

Harvesting begins in the early Fall while the olives are still green in color, but are starting to darken. Harvest generally starts in early September and concludes in mid-November. California Ripe Olives can be harvested by hand, or with a mechanical harvester.

How many olives are grown in California each year?

The California Olive Committee is comprised of hundreds of family farms and two multi-generational canneries, who grow and process 50,000+ tons of­ olives each year. California produces over 95% of the olives grown in the US–but that doesn’t mean we’re all big business.

Where do olives go after they are harvested?

Some farmers, however, are now utilizing mechanical harvesting, which increases the speed in which olives are harvested. Upon harvesting, the olives are then sent to one of California’s two processing plants where they are sorted, graded, and stored until ready for curing.

Where are the olive groves located in California?

California olive production is mostly in the San Joaquin and Sacramento valleys, although some acreage is reported throughout California [9]. Tulare County is the leading producer, with about a third of California’s bearing acres in 2012.