I have written about harvesting olives and making extra virgin, first-press olive oil before. Once with our first harvest in 2014, when we went to the tiny olive press in the tiny village of Lledo – and another post was dedicated to both making oil and curing olives for eating.

As starting olive farmers, we’re almost experimenting though… and this is how we’re doing it this year.

About the Olive Harvest of 2017

Our olive harvest of 2017 can be separated into three different groups:

• A first batch of olives was harvested by our volunteers Natalie & Gabriel around the end of November and pressed with a small mechanical press in our own home
• A second batch of olives was harvested by us and our friends Gail & Martin at the beginning of November; we had it cold pressed (centrifuge technique) at the mill in Calaceite
• A third batch is still ongoing, as it was interrupted by a bad case of the flu and a lot of wind – if anything’s still hanging on the trees next week or so, we’re hoping to harvest it and sell it to a local “cooperativa” so we can make back a bit from our investments.

A separate post will be written for each of these – as all 3 are unique experiences and we really like to share how we do it. I just need some time to sort out all the pictures and videos – and write detailed how-to’s so you can actually use the information to do all of those things as well!

We’ve noticed in the past few months how newcomers to the area are really using our articles to explore possibilities… and we’re happy to help you out with that!

One little disclosure – this year, the olive oil doesn’t just come from trees from our own property. We’ve joined hands with a few neighbors and friends – people like us, who have a few dozen trees and care for them without chemicals – and other people who helped out with the harvest. That has allowed us to harvest so much more, so much faster – still by hand, of course, with our sticks and nets.

This is why we’re not calling it “Mas del Encanto” olive oil this year. We’ve been thinking for months about a good name for the main batch, but so far came up empty… suggestions are welcome 😉

The Result: Extra Virgin, Cold Pressed Olive Oil!

What I did want to share with you right now though, is the result so far: we have several barrels of delicious, organic, extra virgin, first pressed, cold pressed, home-made olive oil from the local Empeltre olives. And just like last time, we’d love to share this with all of our friends, followers, families, and guests or visitors to Mas del Encanto.

We are currently offering our olive oil at pre-sale prices; these are for anyone who wants to make sure they’ll get some! As we’re driving up north around the end of February (current estimation), it means you’ll be able to pick it up in Schoten (near Antwerp) or Amsterdam – unless you prefer to get your bottle when you’re here in Spain.

Our olive oil is available in 3 different formats: 500ml, 1L, or 5L bottles. You can either order them here (and pay directly and have that over and done with), or you can send me an e-mail or WhatsApp message to place your order (I’ll send you the payment details).

We’re offering this pre-sale discount, so we can use the prepayments to acquire bottles and bottling equipment. A bit like a crowdfunding campaign – but only here 🙂