What’s in a Name? – The 3 Seasons of the Olive Harvest
Have you ever wondered when you sniff or taste our lineup of award-winning olive oils, why each one has such a unique and distinct aroma and flavor than the next? Sure, our Lemon and Orange fused oils certainly taste like the fresh citrus they’re pressed with, but the real difference is actually right in the name on the bottle.
Early Harvest – October 15 to November 15
The Early Harvest is exactly what it says it is…early. The olives that go into our Early Harvest Greek Extra Virgin Olive Oil are typically harvested one month prior to the traditional harvest. Just like the label on our bottle, the trees a very green and bright, but the olives are still unripe and barely larger than the size of a pea. Those small, hard olives may be tiny, but they pack a pungent punch. Which is why your senses pick up notes of fresh grass, green leaf, green banana and a hint of pepper. Although winter is approaching, the days are still summer-like with cool nights. Allowing the tiny olives to continue to grow for the traditional harvest that is only a few weeks away.
Traditional Harvest – November 15 to December 15
Winter is coming and the days are getting shorter and colder. Have no fear our mighty olives continue to thrive, and the trees are “fuller” than they were last month as the fruits have developed dramatically in the past 4 weeks. Like our bottle label, the trees are a little less green as a sign of the maturing olives and it’s happening quickly! With each week that passes, you can see the difference. These riper olives offer a less pungent taste and bring notes of banana, ripe tomato and Greek herbs, with a green pepper and apple finish to our Organic Greek Extra Virgin Olive Oil. As the winter winds begin to stir, the trees shake naturally in the breeze covering the ground yellowish and purple olives.
Late Harvest – December 15 to January 15
The traditional harvest has passed. The nights are longer, and the days are shorter. What olives are left fill the branches with large mature “hanging” fruit. Sometimes so heavy the weight bends and bows the branches. As the holidays approach, so do the stronger winter winds, shaking about 40% of the fruits to the ground. But, the large ripe fruit that hasn’t fallen creates a unique flavor that is sweet and smooth with notes of dried fruits and fuses perfectly with the acidic citrus fruits from our family-orchard in our Late Harvest Lemon Greek Olive Oil and Estate Grown Greek Orange Olive Oil.
Pretty cool, huh? You see, we’ve simply named our oils based on the seasonal-range of our annual harvest — Early Harvest through Late Harvest. As the months past and the seasons change the olives continue to grow and as the weather changes so do the flavor profiles of our olives. And, you can even taste how the little changes make a big difference.
But, if all this green thumb pickin’ is just a little too much to take in, we put together this Ultimate Olive Oil Guide just to help make your decisions a little easier. Check it out!
