Ħsad taż-żebbuġ. Kif u meta tagħmel dan

Hemm ħsad taż-żebbuġ it is a demanding agricultural practice but also full of satisfactions. In fact, picking a drupe may seem simple, but things are not exactly like this. This important operation, in fact, in addition to physical fatigue also requires various technical knowledge. Furthermore, it must be done on time, with the right methods and ways. The method in which you they collect olives in fact, it determines the final quality of the oil, so this practice must be carried out with the utmost care.

In this article we suggest the best period for harvesting the drupes, considering several factors to be carefully evaluated. Let’s also see how to do this, what risks the tree runs and how to make oil.

When to harvest olives

In kultivazzjoni tas-siġar taż-żebbuġ l- best time to start harvesting it depends on multiple factors.
In fact, let’s consider that the season for picking this fruit goes from the beginning of autumn (about mid-September) to the beginning of winter, roughly mid-December. It is therefore not possible to establish an unambiguous timing.
The first factor to consider is the variety of our olives and the purpose of production.
The main subdivision is that between żebbuġ tal-mejda u żejt taż-żebbuġa.

The harvest of table olives

il table olives are harvested when they have reached their maximum size and maximum ripeness. This is true both in terms of color and texture of the pulp.
Li żebbuġ tal-mejda they must be soft and tasty, so not too hard. To be commercially appreciable, they must not have external defects. For this reason they should be harvested with not very aggressive methods, by hand, or with equipment that does not damage the skin.
Even if they are harvested at maximum ripeness, they are usually harvested earlier than those for oil, being mostly early varieties.
The exact time of harvest must also be assessed on the basis of seasonal climatic trends. A very dry summer season delays the period. Rainy summers, on the other hand, allow the olives to be picked early.
It is therefore necessary to evaluate these aspects in the field.

Table olives grown in Italy

These are the main ones variety of table olives grown in Italy are:

• Bella di Cerignola
• Ascolana tender
• Nocellara mill-Beliże
• San Wistin
• taggiasca
• Carolea (also considered an excellent olive oil and used in Calabria to make crushed olives in oil).

The harvest of olives for oil

il time of the olive oil harvest it is more complex to evaluate.
The right moment must be chosen taking into account the evolution of the quantity and quality of the oil present in the fruit during the ripening period.
In general, if you proceed early you will get a bright green oil. This has herbaceous hints and relatively higher levels of bitterness and spiciness, determined by the high presence of phenols.
A late harvest, on the other hand, results in the production of a less intense green, almost yellow oil. The typical hints of fruity, bitter and spicy are consequently less intense.
Finally, if we take the fruits in an intermediate moment, we will have average qualitative characteristics of the oil.

Olive oil grown in Italy

Hawnhekk hawn lista ta ' main varieties of olive oil grown in our country. Alongside the evaluation, according to an average, of the collection time:

• Cellina di Nardò ‘, precocious
• Cima di Mola, early
• Cypress, medium
• Coratina, precocious
• Ogliarola from Bari, average
• Nociara, precocious
• Ogliarola garganica, average
• Salento Ogliarola, early
• Peranzana, early
• Rotondella, medium-early
• Cima di Melfi, early
• Crusher, average
• Leccino, early
• Moraiolo, precocious
• Pendolino, precocious
• Carolea, belated
• Maiatica, precocious
• Picholine, average

How to understand the degree of ripeness of olives

An immediate benchmark for understand the degree of ripeness of the olives is that of the degree of veraison. Basically we must observe the change in color of the peel.
In general, the oil has a high sensory level if the pigmentation of the olives affects only the surface. On the other hand, when it also affects the pulp, there is a sensory flattening.
This aspect, however, is closely linked to the yield in terms of oil. The quantity obtained in the mill increases with the progress of the degree of ripeness.

The times of olive harvest. In summary

Let’s recap the period for the olive harvest:

• Early: determines lower yield and higher quality.
• Medium-late: determines more yield, but a decline in the organoleptic qualities of the oil.

In our opinion, picking the fruit at an intermediate time meets both needs.

The olive production disciplinary

Important aspect to consider for pick the olives is where our olive groves fall back into PDO or PGI areas.
Obviously, this step is only important if the olive grower wants to obtain the relative certification. In this case, the production regulations must be respected. These give clear indications on the period in which the olive must be detached from the tree and on the analytical and sensory characteristics that the certified oil must guarantee.

The risks due to the olive fly

Another factor not to be underestimated in the choice of best time for olive harvest is linked to the presence of the titjir taż-żejt. If there is a risk of late attacks, it is better to pluck the drupes from the olive tree as soon as possible.

The risks due to the cold

In colder environments, i.e. where early frosts frequently occur, harvesting must be anticipated as much as possible. The frost damages the olives and therefore the final quality of the oil. The sensory defect found in these cases is called damp wood.

The seasonal trend of olives

There are therefore many factors to take into consideration for a profitable one ħsad taż-żebbuġ. Last but not least, the seasonal climatic trend must be taken into account. This greatly influences both the ripening times and the presence of the olive fly.
Furthermore, as is well known, the olive tree has years of “charge” and “discharge”, especially if no balanced tree pruning.
In years of “charge” the ripening is slower, while in those of “discharge” it is faster and can be harvested in advance.

How to harvest olives

Anki l - olive harvesting techniques affect the final quality of the oil.
There are some principles, in fact, that must always be kept in mind. First of all, the more ripe the olives, the lower their resistance to detachment, therefore the easier it is to harvest them. On the other hand, the more mature they are, the more they soften and become susceptible to the damage that can be caused by detaching them from the tree.
Bruises and wounds on the fruit favor the onset of alteration processes of the oil contained within it. There are in fact risks of acidification and oxidation of its composition.
Another consideration is that, if the drupes on which there are dents and wounds are not immediately taken to the mill after harvesting, the development of microorganisms such as molds can be favored.
While harvesting the drupes, we advise you to keep some of them as well weraq taż-żebbuġli magħhom make an herbal tea purifying.

Methods and tools for olive harvesting

Here is a summary of what the ways to harvest olives:

• By hand (picking, combing, picking)
• With facilitating machines (beating, shaking)
• With large equipment (with vibrators at the trunk or at the branches, with the tractor)

In general, the choice of the righteous tagħmir it is not always obvious and often depends on the way we have set up our olive grove. What to prefer between harvesters, vibrators, shakers or maybe a simple hand picking can therefore vary from case to case.
il adequate equipment they depend primarily on the collection method chosen. Consequently, the conditions of the trees and their economic resources are assessed.
Obviously, the tools do not all have the same price and the same quality, so you have to evaluate the alternatives carefully.
In any case, beyond the manual or mechanical choice, the essential tool is certainly represented by netwerks.
These are the basic equipment that every good olive grower must have.

The nets to collect the olives

The nets for the olive harvest are placed under the trees to avoid contact of the fruit with the earth. Moreover, indeed, above all, they facilitate the subsequent taking and placing in the boxes (or bins).
There are networks of different qualities, sizes and purposes of use.
For large flat olive groves, more than a single net, a set of nets are used, spread out like a carpet, with the aim of moving them as little as possible.
For the collection of single trees and in inaccessible places, the “split” nets in the center are very interesting. These allow you to “embrace” the trunk of the tree and cover the entire surface projected by the crown.
This net is very easy to move from tree to tree and is perfect for not too large olive groves.

Attention to the quality of the nets, in terms of thickness and width of the meshes. A network that is too fine and large-meshed will certainly suffer from punctures. If the net is punctured, you have to stop to fix it or even run the risk that the freshly picked olives will be lost under the net.
So, when buying, it is better to spend a few more bucks, but work calmly. Also because these nets, if well preserved, last for many years. If you don’t already have them available, tista 'ssibhom hawn.

Collect olives without tools

Hemm magħżula bl-idejntherefore without tools, it is certainly the oldest and most intuitive method.
It must be evaluated if there are few trees in the family orchard and especially if they are small in size. Ladders can be used to collect by hand and reach the highest points of the tree, but be very careful. Falling from olive trees is one of the most frequent accidents that occur in the countryside.

Ħruq

Hemm hand picking of olives “Pure”, without tools to collect them, takes its name stripping. Harvesting by hand means being sure not to spoil the olives and having a perfectly intact product. This technique does not need nets.

Ġlieda kontra

Small variant of the browsing is the combingwhich is still hand-picked.
In this case, however, we make use of small tools for picking olivestypically gods xtillieri.
Collecting olives with this equipment suggests that we put a net under the tree to intercept the olives. Here you find a rake suitable for this operation.

ħsad

Among the methods of hand harvesting of olives there is also the tifkiraThis technique is nothing more than the operation of harvesting the olives when they are already on the ground. This happens when the olives are at the peak of ripeness and inevitably go towards the natural drop.
This is the method that we absolutely advise against, both for the times and for the method itself. In fact, the result that is certainly achieved is that of a low and very low quality of your oil.

The tools for harvesting olives (hobby, semi-professional and professional)

Harvesting by hand is obviously impractical for medium or large olive groves and for those who carry out professional olive growing activities.
There are several methods that use facilitating equipment for fruit detachment. Let’s see what they are.

ħsad

One of the most common methods for harvesting olives using tools is that ofswat (Jew swat).
This system is practiced in an artisanal way using the famous rods. These are, in fact, long canes (preferably bamboo) with which to beat the crown of the tree to make the olives fall.
This system is obviously out of use, as it is very costly in terms of effort, over time. Furthermore, it is stressful for the plant which is easily damaged. It is a system that should only be considered for a few family plants.

The modern harvesting technique

Hemm modern abbacchiatura technique uses specific tools for the olive harvest.
These are nothing more than long telescopic rods at the head of which there are vibrating and / or oscillating “combs”. There are many on the market, for all budgets and uses (professional and hobby).
The rods can be powered by electricity, using car batteries, or through pneumatic energy powered by special motor-driven compressors.
They are the most used tools for harvesting olives, as they are cheap, simple to use and within everyone’s reach.
Hawnhekk issib olive harvesters for hobby and semi-professional use.
Harvesting with olive harvesters certainly speeds up the work. It is perfect when we face it carefully pruned olive trees and order. But it is more difficult with irregular plants.
However, this technique requires a good hand of the operator. The combs of the temples are very “aggressive” on the hair, they make many fall weraqso if there is not a certain practicality there is a risk of doing damage to both the plant and the fruit.
The greatest risk is that of damaging the vegetation and making it susceptible to attacks of fungal diseases. Among these we point out the olive tree mange u l-għajn tal-pagun.
If during the harvesting operations the vegetation is too damaged, a preventive treatment with copper salts is advisable.

ċekċik

A variant of the abbacchiatura with the rods is the rogħda. This is done with the use of a specific tool, called precisely shaker.
The shaker is composed of a rod that ends with a hook that is inserted on the branch of the olive tree. At this point, the tool is activated and begins to shake the branch, causing the olives to fall.
The shakers are usually powered by internal combustion engines, which are carried with a sort of backpack.
These tools for harvesting olives are functional and efficient. Unfortunately, they are also much more expensive and heavier than harvesters.
However, they have a clear advantage in technical terms and for the well-being of the tree.
In fact, if used well, there is no risk of damaging the vegetation and harvesting operations are much faster.
Here you will find one semi-professjonali.

Trunk vibrators

Trunk vibrator to pick the olives

In professional olive growing, especially in very large olive groves, the methods of ħsad taż-żebbuġ permezz ta 'l - użu ta' vibraturi.
These are vibrating tools applied to the trunk or branches (the choice is based on the size of the plants).
In the case of application to the trunk, they can also be equipped with an interceptor frame (a sort of umbrella). This also makes it possible to mechanize the operations subsequent to the detachment of the fruit.
These are autonomous equipment, i.e. not connected to the tractor and limited in size. They are able to move easily from one plant to another, naturally in the case of flat olive groves.
These tools for harvesting olives do not damage the plant, if the vibrations are not too strong and prolonged.

The great advantage of using this vibrator is that it allows you to concentrate the olive harvest in well-programmed times. This allows to deliver large quantities of olives to the mill and therefore to have an oil of homogeneous quality.
The disadvantages, on the other hand, are of an application and economic type. In fact, they cannot be easily used in sloping olive groves. They are also quite expensive equipment. Generally they are dedicated only to farms that produce oil in large quantities and, therefore, have the possibility of amortizing the purchase cost in a short time.

Trattur

Finally, among the tools for harvesting olives, there may be the mechanical hammers (oscillating reels, panels with vibrating rods, vibrators with intercepting umbrellas) applied to the tractor. The difference with the harvesters seen previously is that they are operated with the driving force of the trattur.

Recommendations in the use of tools to harvest olives

The recommendation that we feel we can make to better face the long olive harvest season hija dik ta ' operate safely.
So wear personal protective equipment, i.e .: excellent work shoes, gloves, goggles, reinforced trousers, helmets, etc.
It is important to protect yourself at work, even when you have a lot of experience and are confident in yourself.
The tiredness of a hard day’s work leads to loss of clarity and a moment of distraction is always around the corner.

When to bring the olives to the mill

After the harvest it is good practice immediately bring the olives to the mill. It is therefore a good idea to place them in containers that can also be used for transport and possible storage. In this way, decanting is avoided, which can ruin the drupes.
The containers must be perfectly clean. We recommend the use of containers that allow the passage of air, such as crates or caissons (bins) in hard and cracked plastic. I basktijiet tal-ġuta or other materials.
Olives should be processed as soon as possible, preferably within 12 hours. If this is not possible due to management problems, storage must be as short as possible, maximum 48 hours. Especially in the case of olives that are not in perfect condition (bruised, attacked by the fly, etc.) even an extra 1 day storage can compromise the final quality of the oil.
The delay leads to a decrease in phenolic substances and volatile compounds. Over time, it leads to an increase in acidity and fermentation processes arise, which can lead to sensory defects called “reheating” or “vinous”.