​Olives are harvested, if you were lucky enough to have any, and all is quiet in the olive grove.  The rain Marlborough has been getting over the last few weeks will be replenishing the trees’ moisture levels after our very dry summer and help with the uptake of nutrients from the soil.  It is not, however, the time to starting your pruning as wet cuts are just an invitation for disease.  Have a break over these short, dark, gloomy, damp days and plan your pruning for when the weather gets a little sunnier and drier.
 
Olive Press Closed
Harvest is done for another season.  It was a disappointing crop for Marlborough olive growers with many deliveries coming in at a third of estimated volume.  Many growers reported trees with no fruit at all and having to hunt for fruit on the trees which did have some.  Fruit tended to be very black or still very green depending on variety and we certainly didn’t see that lovely mix of black, purple and green fruit that makes for a good balanced oil flavour.
The Press Operators had a very stop/start few weeks as the Booking Co-ordinator tried to group the bookings together to get enough fruit to process.  There is a minimum required for the press to be able to process and it was very difficult trying to get enough small growers together at the same time to get sufficient volume.  Mandy certainly gets the ‘Star Olive Wrangler’ title this year!!
The Leaf blower had a bit of a holiday this season as most fruit coming in was hand harvested or meticulously cleared of debris before delivery.  Well done to the quality control people as it really does make processing run more smoothly.

​Olive Pomace Waste
Our experiment with pomace waste being taken back as a nutrient for your trees was very popular. Half of the pomace produced went back to its original source. Thank you to those who agreed to take part.  Please let us know how you have used it and where you found it most beneficial.  We will review this year’s pomace return scheme with a view to even more uptake next season.
Small Growers
We welcomed many new small growers this year. Those who have a tree or two in the back yard or know someone who has a few trees and doesn’t know what to do with them.  Thank you for heeding the call for fruit in this sparse year and contributing.  Now you have had your olives pressed and can enjoy some extra virgin oil of your own we hope you will spread the word and gather friends to do a big pick together next year.  We look forward to seeing you again.
 
Savour your Olive Oil
Olive oil is a sparse commodity worldwide so enjoy your precious golden drops.  Remember to store it in a cool, dark place in an airtight container.  Look after your trees over the next few months, we’ll give you some ideas about pruning and keeping them healthy in subsequent newsletters, so you get a bumper crop next year.
 

​It’s all about harvest.
Monitor your fruit for colour change in the skin but also remember to check the maturity inside.  Use the colour maturity index included in the last two newsletters (both saved on the website under News) to assess ripeness.  This year seems to have been particularly difficult for ripening some varieties with a lot of green fruit hanging on trees.  The lack of sunshine hours this year has undoubtedly delayed ripening.  Maybe a week of sunny weather will change things.
Do not despair, whatever colour your fruit is at harvest you will get a return of oil.  Green fruit will return less oil but it will have a lovely bitter bite to it so this year we may have to just embrace the seasonal difference.  Ideally a mix of one third green, one third black and one third purple will give you a good balanced flavour.

​The Olive Press is in full swing now and bookings for the first 2 weeks of June are very tight.  Read the Supplier Responsibilities,  then get the Supplier Declaration into the Booking Co-ordinator with your anticipated date, and estimated volume.  She will then negotiate a delivery time.  Remember, if you harvest less than 300kg you will need to go into a Small Grower mix and that also needs to be co-ordinated.
All fruit is inspected at delivery.  It will be weighed, checked for debris and fruit quality.  If there is too much leaf/twig it will have to be leaf blown at extra cost to you. Too much coarse material slows down the processing and causes blockages and blow outs which disrupt our tight processing schedule.  If your fruit is in poor condition, squashed, decomposing, containing other debris, we reserve the right to refuse processing.  The Press operates in a food safe environment and we cannot risk contamination of our processing systems.
When you deliver your fruit please remember your Supplier Delivery/Collection Declaration form as well as your clearly labelled and clean receptacles for oil.  Food grade plastic and stainless steel are acceptable, glass is completely NO GO.  The delivery area is busy so stay within the designated zones and obey the signage.  Wait until someone is there to receive your fruit.
Picking up your oil is best done at designated times as we are not there 24 hours a day and we don’t want to impose on the landlords. When you do pick up your oil you will be given a Pressing Receipt which is your record of the processing including weight, fruit quality, oil percentage extraction and volume.  All those things we love to know!!  You will be invoiced later.
We look forward to seeing your fruit come through during June but remember that the last day for delivery of fruit will be 2 July so, ripe or not, it needs to be through by then.
Here’s hoping for some fine, dry days and happy harvesting.