The olives are ripening

I'm so pleased with these olives. This is the second tree we planted, about three and a half years ago, a Lucque. This variety originated in Italy but is now grown mostly here in the Hérault département of southern France. The Lucques olives are unlike other olives - they are firm and almost crisp, with pointed fruit and sharp stones. Of course, I think they're delicious and I'm really looking forward to eating our own Lucques for the first time, even though it will be a very small crop this year.

We'll probably pick them in about a month's time and then I'll soak them in brine for two months before they are ready to eat. Last year the olives we picked from our other tree were ready for us to eat with our aperitifs in the garden on Xmas day.

They can be picked green, but then they need to be treated with caustic soda, so I'd rather wait until they ripen.