Olives

For several consecutive years the local olive harvest has failed so dramatically that the press hasn't even opened. This year it looks like we might finally get lucky and not suffer the indignity of having to buy oil from the supermarket. There are several causes for total crop failure. If the weather is too dry the olives shrivel on the trees, if the weather is too windy they can fall before they ripen, but usually the culprit is the olive fly which turns the fruit to mush, like bread in the rain. It is possible to use green olives as a delicacy but they are no good for oil, for decent quality oil and a reasonable yield it is best to wait for them to turn as black as possible.