The trees are stripped at night because cool temperatures help to preserve the olives' aromatic compounds.
Night harvesting or collecting is standard practice in the production of green or early-harvest olives. But do you know why this is done? If you are not very familiar with gourmet or top quality oils you may never have heard that their olives are gathered at night.
Olives are harvested most commonly in mid- to late-fall. In California, in the Northern Hemisphere, that is usually late October and November. But harvest can last into December depending upon the desired flavor profile. All olives are green.
Not only do Early Harvest olive oils contain more anti-inflammatory nutrients, but the olives also deliver a more robust aroma and flavor, making Early Harvest the ideal option for both culinary use, and as part of your wellness routine.
You may be surprised to learn that green and black olives are not different varieties. Instead, the terms refer to the ripeness of the olives when they were picked. Green olives are picked while they are green and not yet ripe. Black olives are picked and cured after they have already ripened.
The fruits are ready for harvesting from Autumn to early Winter. Freshly picked olives are bitter to taste and have to be pickled in brine before preserved for eating. For black olives wait until they past the olive green stage and turn purply black but are still firm. Green olives can be picked earlier.
Let's recap: Green olives are unripe as they're being picked, while black olives are ripened before they're picked.
Throwing it in the trash or pouring it down the sink can cause it to leak all over the trash can or lead to an insect infestation. Olive oil needs to reach a temperature of 40 degrees Fahrenheit to become solid and when it solidifies in the sink it might clog up pipes.
Nearly every Ramsay recipe, from his early days on Boiling Point to Uncharted and the current critic's darling, Scrambled starts with "just a drizzle" of his beloved EVOO. Ramsay knows that "liquid gold" packs flavor and healthy fats into every bite; he does not miss an opportunity to use it liberally.
Late harvest olive oils tend to be more golden in colour as the chlorophyll content declines. At this stage, the polyphenol levels in olive oil drop too. As a result, these olive oils are less bitter, more floral, less pungent, and have a shorter shelf life than early harvest olive oils.
Pick the olives when they nearly ripe, when they have begun to change colour from green to pinkish purple but are not fully black. When most of the crop have become this colour, harvest all the olives off the tree.
Over-ripe olives (very soft, completely purple flesh) will yield far more oil; the oil will have little or no bitterness and will often exhibit tropical fruit aromas. Compared to oil from unripe olives, oil from over-ripe olives will have a much reduced shelf life (months rather than years).
Harvested olives must be “cured” to remove the bitterness in order to make them palatable. The most common curing processes use brine, dry salt, water, or lye treatments. During these curing processes the water-soluble oleuropein compound is leached out of the olive flesh.
Harvesting by hand is best for the quality of the olive oil. (1) That way, the olives can be harvested at the optimum time. That is, when they are just barely ripe and before they fall off the branch. It makes little difference whether the olives are picked by hand or by a hand shaker.
However, contrary to popular belief, frying foods with olive oil isn't any healthier. According to EatingWell, this is due to the fact that frying is done at a high temperature. When oil reaches its smoke point, its compounds, including the ones considered beneficial to your health, begin to break down.
Smoke point and acrolein production
According to supporters of this theory, the smoke point of unrefined cold-pressed olive oils, such as extra virgin olive oil, is too low. Exceeding the smoke point results in the production of acrolein, a toxic liquid chemical.
It's unsafe to cook with olive oil. It isn't stable and oxidizes when heated, causing harm to the body.
It's been shown to lower blood pressure and contains plant-based compounds that offer anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties known to reduce the disease process, including heart disease. Olive oil is derived from the fruit of the olive tree, cultivated mainly in the Mediterranean for over 5,000 years.
Present study showed that coliform bacteria can survive and reproduce in virgin olive oil containing low level of phenolic compounds.
How to dispose of old olive oil. Olive oil, like other cooking oils, should never be washed down the drain or tossed into the trash. The simplest method of disposing of used olive oil is to place it in an airtight, unbreakable container before disposal or to deliver it to a waste recycling point.
For example, olives that are being processed as Green olives will be picked when they have reached full size but are still green. Olives that are left on the tree longer will grow darker or more purple in color, such as the Kalamata.
If your olives get exposed to air, they can develop a white film. It is the healthy lactobacillus probiotic bacteria from the fermentation process. It is perfectly normal and safe to eat. In fact, it helps you digest food.