Olive harvest in the countryside: how we pick olives and when is the right time

When autumn comes and the olives start changing colour on the trees, we know in the countryside that it’s time for the olive harvest. It isn’t just farm work: it’s a whole season that brings family and neighbours together, starting early in the morning in the olive groves and ending with a jar of fresh oil at home. In this article we tell you how we harvest olives here in Chiadma, when the right time is, and what to look out for if you want a good olive oil.

We picked the olives by hand (the video)

In this video we headed out to the olive grove as a family and spent a whole day picking olives by hand. We also ask you a question: how much do you think we gathered that day? Leave your answer in the comments on YouTube.

When does the olive harvest start in Morocco?

Harvest time varies from region to region and from year to year, depending on the rain and the summer heat. But generally in Morocco the harvest begins in autumn and finishes in winter. And farmers don’t just look at the calendar — they look at the olives themselves:

• Green olives: not fully ripe yet. They are picked early, usually for curing (table olives). Pressed, they give little oil, but its taste is intense with a slight bitterness.
• Turning olives: somewhere between green and purple. Many people choose this stage for oil, because it gives a good balance between yield and flavour.
• Black olives: fully ripe, with more oil, but the oil tastes milder.

How do we harvest olives in the countryside?

Our method is simple and old, and it relies on hands and patience:

1. Spread out under the tree: we lay tarps or sheets under the whole olive tree so the olives don’t fall into the soil and stay clean.
2. By hand and with a stick: the low branches are picked by hand, and the high ones are gently beaten with a stick. Hitting too hard bruises the olives and breaks the shoots that will bear next year’s crop.
3. Gather the olives: we pull the tarps together from the sides and pour the olives into baskets or sacks. This is where the kids join in, racing to see who can gather the most.
4. Clean them: we remove leaves, twigs and stones before the olives go to the press, so the oil comes out clean.

Harvest day is long, so the food has to keep up. Once we made a tanjia in the wood-fired oven and let it cook while we worked; the full recipe is in our article Rabbit tanjia in a wood-fired oven.

From grove to press: why speed matters

A common mistake is leaving olives piled up in sacks for days before pressing them. Once picked, olives start to heat up and ferment, and that shows in the oil later: it picks up an off smell and its acidity rises. That’s why good oil is made from healthy, clean olives pressed as soon as possible.

In Chiadma there are still traditional presses where a camel turns the millstone. We describe this step in detail in our article The camel olive press: how beldi olive oil is made.

Tips for choosing this year’s olive oil

• Ask about the year: oil from the new harvest has a clear olive aroma. Oil keeps, but its aroma fades over time.
• Buy from people you know: someone who can tell you where the olives came from and where they were pressed.
• Taste: good oil smells of fresh olives, with a little bitterness or a peppery kick in the throat, and that’s normal. We explain how to tell the grades apart in Extra virgin olive oil: what does it mean?
• Storage: keep the oil somewhere cool and dark, in a dark glass bottle or a well-sealed can, away from sunlight and the heat of the kitchen.

New oil at home: the first bowl on the table

Here in the countryside, the first thing we do when the new oil comes back from the press is pour a small bowl for the breakfast table, with warm beldi bread. Young and old wait for this moment, because it tastes of a whole year’s work. After that, the oil goes into everything: tagines, salads, harira and beldi eggs in the pan. To see what our morning table looks like, read Traditional Moroccan breakfast.

Every household stores the year’s oil in cans or clay jars and uses it little by little until the next season. That’s where you see the difference between oil made well from the start and oil pressed from olives that sat too long: the first keeps its aroma for a long time, the second changes quickly.

Frequently asked questions about the olive harvest

Are olives that fell to the ground on their own still good?

If they have just fallen and haven’t been on the ground long, we gather them. But olives that have sat in the soil for days, or are bruised or mouldy, are better kept apart, as they affect the quality of the oil.

Are table olives the same as olives for oil?

Some varieties work for both, but the difference is often in the timing: table olives are picked green or black depending on the preparation, and the biggest, healthiest fruit is chosen.

Beldi olive oil delivered to your door

To taste the oil that comes from this work, you’ll find our extra virgin beldi olive oil in our shop, along with pure honey, amlou and argan oil. For all the breakfast essentials in one go, see the Beldi Breakfast Pack. Delivery to every city in Morocco, cash on delivery. For any question, message us on WhatsApp: +212682077365. And subscribe to our channel Chaidmia Hora to follow every season with us.

#Chiadma #Moroccan countryside #olive harvest #olive oil #olive season