The Greek Olive Harvest

two months of farm life in the Peloponnese

By Where's Herr Gruber?

February 1^st, 2021

Just over a two weeks ago we left the olive farm, a place very close to our hearts. Where we spend almost 2,5 months (!) harvesting olives and helping around the farm. We already miss our farm family and all the animals, including:

Charly, Ellie and Lexi, the owners of the farm, and a very warm en welcoming family;
Rob, another volunteer from the UK;
Patch, Tilly and Notour, three silly and lovable dogs;
Around fifteen very annoying cats;
Three baby pigs, who turned into fat big piggies during the 2,5 months we were there;
Two geese, who always looked at you as they were judging you;
A couple of chicken and one very annoying rooster;
Two sheep, although they might be in the freezer by now;
And fourteen turkeys, one less after Christmas...

In this story we would like to tell you about our time there and the olive harvesting process. But first little back story on how we ended up here in the first place. Remember that we were questioning our existence while on Lefkada and figuring out the purpose of life? Well, in that moment we knew we needed to just stop chilling around and do something useful with our time again...

We messaged Charly and Ellie via Workaway and agreed we would arrive a couple of weeks later around mid-November and explore a bit in the Peloponnese first. Back then we did not know what to expect in terms of another lockdown, but it came around anyway (like in much of Europe), and we arrived at the olive farm early November. A great time followed, with lots fun of working under the sun, good food, great company and lots of laughter!

The Olive Harvest

We did not know what to expect at all before we started harvesting, but imagined it would be hard work. Would we shake the tree? And then olives would just magically fall off? Well, it turned out this is not exactly how it works... So, let us take you through the steps of a proper Greek olive harvest. Yes, there was wine and yes there was feta. And yes it was physically demanding, but not that bad in the end. We dare to say it was actually kind of fun.

Step 1: Spread out the olive sheets

This makes sure the roots of the trees are warm, comfy and cozy and they don't get cold feet. Just kidding, it makes sure no olive gets left behind during the next steps.

Step 2: Climb into a tree with a chainsaw

Always a good idea right? Now, start pruning the tree. This step works best when you look like John Travolta in Saturday Night Fever. You know that you're in the right position and get the best results when you copy the example below. Also, it is important to continuously remind yourself of the slogan of this step, which is: what could possibly go wrong?!

Step 3: Get your machines ready

But first, if the man with the chainsaw is still up in the tree, and if you yourself are not the man with the chainsaw: run. for. cover! Olive branches will be falling down. If you happen to catch one with your head, then no this is not a sign of peace. It is a sign that you were in the wrong spot.

Next, put the branches in big piles next to Nino (Rob's Machine) and Dino (Simon's Machine). While the boys run the branches through their machines, the girls use Sugarpants (no one knows who or why it is named like this...) to hit off the last olives from the tree. This step is more fun while combined with music and dancing. And it looks a little bit like this:

Step 4: Collect the olives

Pick up the sheets and collect the olives in bags using the green Forever-Falling-Over-Table, pictured below. Try to get as much leaves out as possible, we are not in the leaf oil business.

Step 5: Bag up and load up

Pretend you are The Hulk or would never suffer from any back hernia in your life and load those bags full of olives up.

Step 6: Drive to the local olive press

And find someone who can load your bags off your truck. You will do this daily, so your olives are pressed fresh.

Step 7: Wait for the cold-pressing proces

Et voilà: your Extra Virgin Olive Oil is ready to be enjoyed. When it first comes from the press it is so good, it even has a spicy sting to it. So the first thing you do with your new olive oil: dip bread in it and make oliebollen! Well I don't think the Greeks call it like that, but it is very similar!

Step 8: Make a huge fikkie!

Remember the olive branches that the man with the chainsaw was throwing at your head? Well they are still lying around. Might as well use the big ones as firewood for next winter, and the small ones can make a nice bonfire as well. Use a hat, if not your hair will burn. And be careful with those brows and lashes...

You're a pro!

That was it, the proces of harvesting olives. If you have followed these steps, you are a pro by now. That is, if you followed the most vital rule: eat a huge lunch with a fair amount of wine. Now repeat this for 21 days and you have harvested 400+ olive trees and 3.000 liters of oil!

What else?

After the harvest you might experience an existential crisis (again), because: this is your life now, so what to do now? Thank god there were lots of other jobs at the farm and even though Greece was (and still is) in lockdown, we were still able to do quite some fun things. Hiking to the local Acropolis with the dogs and Lexie to enjoy a beer at sunset. Beach time and swimming in the sea in December, a few days before Christmas. Driving off road with Herr Gruber through the forests and on the beach, he enjoyed that so much that one time he didn't even want to leave and dug himself in the sand. Playing lots of games, we all improved our Uno game. Spending the holidays together. Christmas with a feast, even Sinterklaas with homemade Speculaas. Sleeping on the beach during New Years Eve. All in all, it was great!

Monastery in a mountain cave

On Christmas Day we drove up the mountain to the Monastery of Smerna. We explored the church in a cave and lit a candle. Climbed through a window (or was it a door?) and followed a path all the way up the mountain, from were we could see the whole valley. A very special place, so I got to use my camera again. Here's a few of the pictures I took that day:

Goodbyes

Mid January time had come to say goodbye and for us to continue our trip. We had such a great time at the farm, learned lots of new skills and really enjoyed the way of life. Waking up every morning, walking outside in the sun and seeing the ocean isn't that bad. Even if you have to pick some olives ;-). If you are curious about the farm, check out their website or instagram. And if you want to come over, the beautiful house is available as a holiday home via AirBnB and Vrbo. We would like to thank Charly, Ellie and Lexie for the great time, all the things they taught us, the good food, good conversation and all the laughs! We will never forget it and we are sure we will meet again!

That was it for now, we hope everybody back home is healthy and safe. We are here in Greece, enjoying the lockdown in a mountain village in the north of Greece. More on that later!