Olive Harvest in the Sabine Hills

We drove into the Sabine Hills to help the Guidara family with their olive harvest (as we did last year - see Nov. '09 blogpost).

Along the way we see the remnants of an ancient tower amidst an olive grove. The driveway leading to Guidara's.

Raking the olives onto the nets.
Elder and Sister Crawford.
Gathering the olives into one spot to dump into crate. Sun on the distant hills.

Taking the olives to the community olive press.

Step 1: Dumping the olives into large bins.

Step 2: Dumping bins of olives, leaves and all, into a vat.

Step 3: Olives travel up conveyor belt.

Step 4: This machine shakes the olives from leaves.

Step 5: Olives are washed.

Step 6: Olives and pits are ground up.

Step 7: Olive oil is separated from the pits and pulp.

End product: Beautiful extra virgin, cold pressed olive oil.

The pits are ground into pellets and used for burning in pellet stoves.

A handful of pellets.

The pulp is used for mulch to return to the ground.

A handful of mulch.

Brother Guidara's "truck" is weighed before and after the olives are unloaded.

Checking the weight on the indoor scale.

Holding a complimentary sample of Sabine Olive Oil.