It occurs in June when in the rest of Spain in that same month, we will already find well developed olives on the trees. Pits dug out of the earth, with contention walls, some even roofed. Later, the ice produced was sold in the hot months. It is 12 metres deep and has an interior diameter of 15 metres. Is such a low temperature damaging for the olive tree? In order to reach the quality of the best olive oil, there must also exist a difference in temperature between the different seasons of the year. The tree needs to have a dormant period during the winter, sprout in spring, have fruit growth in summer and ripen in autumn.
Autumn will also be the optimum time for harvesting. All of this must follow the same cycle so that the level of sugars, aromatic components, polyphenols and fatty acids have the same level. To sum up, for there to be an optimum dormant period, the winter must be cold, the summer, warm to quite hot and spring and autumn must have the typical temperatures of those seasons, for as long a time as possible and without sudden changes from one season to another. What would happen if the temperature range was not as expected?
What would happen if temperatures went haywire?
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We would obviously have another set of results. And if the temperature is very high during the night, does the tree rest? And if the nights are very hot, what usually happens is the days are also normally hotter than usual. And if the nights and days are very cold, the consequence is that the tree will remain in a state of lethargy and the ripening of the olives will be impaired. If there is to be a shortage of water, the flowers abort and the functioning of the chlorophylls is seriously affected, the result of which being a general overall weakening.
When this happens, the exchange of gases between plant and atmosphere is also interrupted and photosynthesis stops. For that reason, a large number of the olives are not going to survive until the end and will fall from the tree before ripening or will remain very small.
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In conclusion, temperature range which we have just explained and which forms part of olive-growing, plays a very important role in obtaining a high quality olive oil. And if one of them fails, it endangers the quality of the oil we are looking for. What importance does altitude have in the production of a good olive oil? The belief that the highter the altitude, the better the quality is becoming more widespread but is it true?
The olive tree is a hardened fighter. It withstands low temperatures and high ones also.
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It puts up with a shortage of water and can be productive from sea level up to an altitude of 1, metres. In the distance, you can see Sierra de Aitana with an altitude of 1, metres. In all of these scenarios, what comes into play is the variety of olive. They can have a short, medium or long ripening period depending on the different conditions of altitude and climate since the olive tree is capable of adapting to all types of conditions.
When it is time to harvest, it is very important to pay great attention to the average temperature between the maximum and minimum during the day. It is at this time that the tree is not developing, it is not working. Therefore, if Mother Nature allows it, harvesting will be perfect. In very few days, the olives will change their pigmentation in the ripening process.
For every metres of altitude gained, the average temperature goes down 0. As the altitude increases, so does the level of exposure to sunlight. The higher the altitude, the greater the number of rays. At the same time, the range of temperature necessary to obtain a quality product is also being achieved.
At altitude, the breezes which are constant, help to keep the tree healthy. If we look at the soil higher up, it tends to be stonier and more permeable, which allows for better drainage and prevents an excess of water accumulating. But, it is very important to look at levels of exposure to sunlight. If they are very high, they can damage the tree.
Brian Chatterton
The soil and what is beneath it is what is at the base of the oil and one of the most important factors in olive-growing. From the ground to the tree and from the tree to the olive. The olive tree takes from the ground all that it needs to survive. As a general rule, the best soil for quality olive-growing has to be deep. In this way, the roots can get down into various layers.
The best soils also have to have a coarse texture so that there exists good drainage. It is not good for there to be an accumulation of excess water. The minerals which this soil contains are also important in obtaining a quality oil. They are chalky soils with low humidity and a basic pH. The principal elements which the tree needs are:. Physiologically, potassium is fundamental in the opening of stomas, and photosynthesis. It is better for the climate to be mild. But it is very important for there to be a marked difference in temperature between day and night.
As you will have noticed, we have gone back to the same topic of temperature range which has got to be right to encourage synthesis and the concentration of the various components that make up the olive and which will later go into the olive oil. Or for the ground to become waterlogged.
For that reason, the recommended framework for planting is that which is intensive 7m x 7m. In winter, when the vegetative recess occurs, it is important to count on the appropriate intervals of low temperatures. In this way, the branches will develop correctly. Ultimately, if the olive grove is situated in what we would call a border area, so much the better.
By that, we mean that a little bit further out and it would be impossible for cultivation to take place. Up to that moment, the tree is concentrating on defining its structure, that is to say, its trunk and branches. Old olive trees are less porductive. It is the tree itself which regulates itself and little by little, offers a greater quantity of olives up to when it reaches approximately years of age when its production starts to decrease. Here, too, we should take into account that different varieties of olive produce different results.
For that reason, there are trees better suited to cooler or more moderate climates. It is Man who is ultimately responsible for the olive grove and who has the last word where decisions are concerned. And these decisions can modify the results which the olives give and consequently, the oil. There are also two sections dedicated to specific information and advice for the small grower: Chatterton litters his guide with careful and considered opinion written with authority from a person who has a good grasp of the practical as well as the theory and is conversant with the old as well as the new as he shows in the following comment on gas filled bottles.
Research carried our in Italy shows that it is not clear cut. There seems to be little benefit unless the oil is kept into the second year. The oils from the south benefit more than those from the centre where anti-oxidant levels are generally higher. Chatterton's latest contribution in literature on the olive industry is a great starter for anyone wanting to learn about olivegrowing and oil production, but it also serves to update knowledge and makes a great resource and reference tool.
It informs but its style and form also allows the user to engage. After his early years in India where he was born in Brian Chatterton's family moved to Adelaide. From school in Adelaide he went to the University of Reading in Britain for his degree in agriculture. After graduating Brian took over the family farm at Lyndoch in the Barossa Valley. Olives had been planted around the homestead and along some tracks but they were not harvested for olives. In the early s he became a part time journalist writing about wine and farming in the local paper. He resigned in and in he became consultant on dryland farming in West Asia and North Africa, In with his wife Lynne, to use as a base, they purchased an abandoned farm in Umbria with a small olive grove where they live.
They recounted their experiences in Discovering Oil. This, the first e-book to be reviewed on these pages, might well be subtitled "Everything you always wanted to know about growing olives but didn't know who to ask".
The Perfect Climate
It is an easy to use, rich compendium of information set out in chapters accessible at a mouse-click, with additional more detailed information a simple further click away. It is illustrated throughout with photographs and clear diagrams. When complex data are discussed - on, for example I'm selecting at random. Where applicable, recent research is cited. The rhythm of the olive-growing year is reflected in the titles of the four major chapters, 'Winter', 'Spring', 'Summer', and 'Autumn'.
One of the most daunting questions for the novice olive-grower is that of pruning.
Olive-growing at Masía El Altet to produce the best olive oil in the world
In the 'Winter' chapter he provides a detailed discussion of the various shapes into which olive trees are pruned and their advantages or disadvantages as regards harvesting. Diagrams show exactly how this pruning should be carried out. Information is given on how to recuperate neglected trees or those damaged by frost or fire. The arguments both for and against this practice are presented in such a manner that the reader may decide for himself whether or not to cultivate; for those wishing to do so, the practical techniques and implements to be used are described in detail.
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Brian Chatterton himself, however, comes down on the side of no cultivation, discussing the problem of soil erosion and, importantly, the destruction of the soil structure to which cultivation is a major contributing factor. Moreover he points out that leguminous plants the wild clovers and vetches for example provide nitrogen for the olive trees and notes - this is a timely comment - "Soils that are excessively cultivated release their organic carbon in the form of carbon dioxide. Restoring organic matter through pasture will return carbon to the soil".
He returns to the subject of soil structure in the 'Autumn' chapter when he speaks of autumn rains, remarking "There is only one route to better penetration by rainfall and that is better structured soil". The 'Spring' chapter also provides a discussion on the use of fertiliser and a clear explanation for the layman of the chemical elements and compounds involved.
Naturally autumn is the season when olives are harvested, so the 'Autumn' chapter includes a detailed discussion on oil percentages and crop yield, as well as the various methods of harvesting olives and on their storage and transport. The 'Processing' chapter adds thorough information on traditional and modern methods of oil processing. For those mainly inhabitants of non-olive-producing countries who have a romantic hankering for the traditional ways of doing things, Chatterton remarks with splendid waspishness, "The Italian consumer is more discerning than any in the North of Europe and would not accept an olive oil from a centrifuge if the oil was inferior in quality to that from a traditional press and mats"; for "Italian" here one could just as well substitute "French", Spanish" or "Greek" Misplaced longings for the good old days and the imagined charms of the simple life are indeed tartly reprimanded "The peasant farmer in a developing country would not accept that there is a 'quality of life' about being poor".
Yet one of the attractive aspects of the book is Chatterton's awareness of the age-old traditional knowledge of olive cultivation in the Mediterranean countries; on hand-picking, for example, he remarks that "In our modern urban society rural skills such as picking grapes and olives are under-rated as they are acquired through years of experience rather than training.
Catherine's Day, November 25th - is supported by the scientific findings. He cites Cato on the use of "vegetative water" i.
Brian Chatterton naturally draws on his experience of growing olives in Italy; however, the principles and practices he discussed are not place-specific and are thus equally applicable to other Mediterranean olive-growing countries. Moreover, although long resident in Italy, he is Australian by birth. He thus includes information on growing olives in Australia and New Zealand - a refreshing addition which broadens the audience for this book.