Olive Picking Holidays

Why Go On An Olive Picking Holiday?

If you are looking for an unusual holiday idea have you considered olive picking? This is a great choice for anyone who is reasonably fit and it's a particularly good idea if you are travelling alone or looking for a break with friends. In many Mediterranean countries olives are a major crop and once winter arrives people are getting busy with the harvest. If you fancy joining in there are a wide range of options available to you from volunteering to gourmet choices.

To read more from this Squidoo article: 'Olive Picking - get fit, make friends, have fun'  click here

How Do You Pick Olives?

Olives are a good crop for someone with no experience to start harvesting. You can learn what to do in just a few minutes and as you work in a small team there will always be someone to guide you. Olive picking begins with the careful spreading of nets under the trees in order to collect the crop, you then comb or knock the olives down - easy and very satisfying to do. Often this will involve climbing a ladder in order to reach the higher branches. If you don't fancy this don't worry - there are plenty of opportunities to work from the ground and no shortage of willing volunteers to scale the heights! Olive trees are very obliging and there are plenty of branches to hang onto while you work.

What to Wear

Wear comfortable old clothes and take several layers. Although you will be picking in the winter months it can still be surprisingly warm and the jumper you needed mid morning certainly won't be wanted by lunch time. Some varieties of olives are more squishy than others so its best to wear something that you don't mind getting a few stains on.

When choosing an olive picking holiday there are a number of things to consider:

• Do you want to just get a taste of what it's like to pick your own olives?
• Are you looking to really experience the olive harvest and want to work alongside local people?
• Where would you like to be? Italy, Spain or Greece probably offer the widest choice but other countries you could choose include France, Croatia and Turkey.
• Would you like to combine your holiday with cooking, travel, visiting local markets - all choices are possible depending on where you decide to go.
• Are you looking for luxury accommodation or are you happy to work as a volunteer and share a room?

For all available options visit our 

Olive Picking Directory

Early Morning Sunrise in the Olive Grove

Which ever holiday you chose you will have the chance to taste extra virgin olive oil and often there will be the opportunity to visit the mill and see the olives being pressed to produce the oil.

The lovely images below are a series of prints by Robert Harding available to buy in a wide range of sizes.