Green olives are primarily harvested by hand, although some use tools to aid in the process.
Harvesting green olives requires careful handling to avoid bruising or damaging the fruit, as they are more delicate than ripe, black olives. The primary methods used are:
- Hand-picking: This is the most traditional and common method. Workers carefully pick each olive from the tree by hand. This method allows for selective harvesting, ensuring only the olives at the desired stage of ripeness are picked. It's also the gentlest method, minimizing damage to the fruit.
- Using Combs: Specialized combs or rakes can be used to gently comb the olive branches, causing the olives to fall onto nets spread beneath the tree. This is a faster method than hand-picking but requires more care to avoid damaging the olives.
- Shaking: While less common for green olives due to the risk of damage, some growers use mechanical shakers to vibrate the tree branches and dislodge the olives. This method is generally used for olives intended for oil production, where minor bruising is less of a concern. When used for green olives, it must be done very carefully.
Regardless of the method, speed is often essential to ensure that olives maintain their vibrant green color and firmness.
