{"id":2245,"date":"2025-02-24T13:16:30","date_gmt":"2025-02-24T11:16:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/angelis-e.gr\/olive-harvesting-tips-for-harvesting-olives\/"},"modified":"2025-07-23T22:04:46","modified_gmt":"2025-07-23T20:04:46","slug":"olive-harvesting-tips-for-harvesting-olives","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/angelis-e.gr\/en\/olive-harvesting-tips-for-harvesting-olives\/","title":{"rendered":"Olive Harvesting \u2013 Tips for Harvesting Olives"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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The start of the harvest depends on the processing method, i.e., whether they will be used as table olives or for oil production.<\/p><\/div>

1. Table Olives<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table>

Fruits to be processed green are harvested when the deep green color fades to light green, and harvesting stops when the skin turns straw-colored.<\/p>

Thus, for green olives<\/strong>, they are harvested while still unripe (before they even turn milky), towards late September to mid-October<\/strong>, depending on the variety and region.<\/p>

Olives to be consumed as black olives<\/strong> are harvested later, when the flesh has blackened to a depth of up to 2\/3, but before it starts to soften.<\/p>

Only in special cases (throumbes, salted black olives) are the fruits allowed to overripen.<\/p>

The characteristics of a good table olive are as follows:<\/strong><\/p>

(1) a high flesh-to-pit weight ratio (7\/1 or even 10\/1)<\/div>
(2) thin skin<\/div>
(3) firm flesh that does not soften or spoil during processing<\/div>
(4) low oil content (because it oxidizes and the olives become rancid)<\/div>
(5) high sugar content (essential for lactic fermentation)<\/div>
(6) attractive appearance, fruit shape and color, etc. (secondary characteristics)<\/div>

Generally, the flesh-to-pit ratio is an important criterion for the quality assessment of a variety<\/strong>.<\/p>

Based on this criterion, the higher the flesh content of a fruit relative to its pit, the greater its value is considered to be.<\/strong><\/p>
2. Oil-producing Olives<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table>

The stage at which most fruits acquire a full black external coloration in irrigated crops is a reliable criterion for fruit collection<\/strong> for economical oil extraction, regardless of fruit size and current production.<\/p>

However, in non-irrigated crops, using color change is not a sufficiently reliable criterion for harvesting.<\/strong><\/p>

In some varieties, it has been shown that oil accumulation in black ripe fruits is relatively small. Therefore, an earlier harvest<\/strong>, before the fruit's color fully changes, might be preferable because it reduces the risk of fruit damage<\/strong> from insects and production loss from fruit drop, and yields higher quality olive oil.<\/strong> <\/p>

Furthermore, with mechanical harvesting, all fruits, regardless of ripening uniformity, are collected from the tree once. The speed of mechanical collection significantly shortens the harvesting period, so the collection time based on maximum oil accumulation is very important. <\/p>

However, reliable criteria for calculating the end of the main olive oil accumulation period for each variety have not been determined.<\/strong><\/p>

Harvesting usually takes place in November-December<\/strong>, depending on the variety, region, and year.<\/p>

Corfu is an exception<\/strong> (a high-rainfall area), where winter ends with heavy rains, and fruits are harvested from April to July, usually yielding very low-quality olive oil.<\/p>