Aegean olive harvest day

Olive harvest on the Urla peninsula runs from October to November. We work with family growers who welcome groups during picking. The farmer shows how the nets are laid under the trees and how to comb the branches with hand rakes without damaging next year's buds; then teams take a row each.

After a couple of hours the crates go on a tractor to a nearby mill, where the group watches the olives washed, crushed and cold-pressed. The miller explains acidity, early harvest and why fresh oil tastes peppery, and pours the first oil of the day for a tasting with bread and salt.

Lunch is laid at long tables in the grove: Aegean herbs cooked in olive oil, village bread, cheeses and grilled fish. Each guest takes home a bottle of oil from the day's pressing with the grove's name on the label.