Amanda Bailey on Olives by The Olive Centre

Tips for Blending Olive Oil

Extra Virgin Olive Oils should have a perfect aroma, flavour and colour. However, this does not mean that all oils should taste the same. There are many factors which can affect the enormous range of characteristics of olive oils. Some of which are dependent on methods you use in your grove which include climatic growing…

Anthracnose in Olives Explained!

Anthracnose During the oil-processing season, Anthracnose can be a problem for some growers in certain areas. It is urgent that this issue is addressed otherwise oil quality may be drastically reduced. Description The fungus that causes this disease is called ‘Gloeosporium olivarum’. Anthracnose is the general term given to diseases that result in roundish black…

Top Australian Producers success with blending olive oils

Fellow producers share their experiences on how they define what they think attributes to a great blended oil: Pukara Estate, NSW Pukara Estate, in the Upper Hunter Valley, has always blended its popular “Premium” extra virgin olive oil. Director, Bruce Eglington, said “Single-varietal oils can be interesting but we are looking for consistency in our…

Those Pesky Birds in the Olive Grove!

Here is an experience from one of our Growers in Queensland who has had success with Bird Control in Olives: “After trying almost every bird scaring devices in the last 5-10 years which included Gas Guns, Sound recorded scare devices, running out into the grove every 30 mins with ATV’s to scare them away, placing…

What is Slitting, Scratching or Cracking Table Olives?

If you are looking to produce Table Olives you may want to practice the art of Slitting, Scratching or Cracking Olives! Under natural fermentation, olives are subjected to brine solution. Some varieties of olives can take longer to endure the process of de-bittering and can be well in excess of 12 months. Talk about a…

Why is my olive fruit so small? Do I have Shotberries?

Contacted by a grower who has this problem with their olive fruit this season: We experienced a problem with our olives. We had a leaf and soil test done and is within the parameters. The trees flowered extremely well; however, in most of the trees although the flower did set the fruit does not grow….

Pickling Olive Recipes

Often we are asked ‘what is the best recipe for pickling or curing your own table olives’ emphasising they couldn’t be bothered changing the brine on a daily basis for a month! Fair enough because that’s a lot of work. However, you might like to know there are different styles or preparations of Table Olives….

Olive Oil vs Coconut Oil… who wins out for heart health?

Fads, the latest is Coconut oil. Seems that you walk into any health food shop and it is available. The shop assistant will tell you a plethora of information. However, lots of times I’ve discussed the topic there are many points brought up about Coconut oil which I feel are incorrect. When you search for…

Need labour for your olive harvest?

Are your friends and family less able to help when time presses on for the Olive Harvest? We often hear how difficult it can be to find sufficient labour at this time. You will be happy to hear that there is a service that looks to facilitate matching Corporations and Growers with Workers for variable…

When pruning with a saw why use a Straight or Curved Blade?

I’ve been working in the horticultural equipment industry and it is amazing a number of times you see the wrong tools being used for the job. It ends up that a grower may not be comfortable using the equipment and not get the efficiency from the tool. Today we are going to look at Pruning…

Secateurs why choose an anvil, bypass/parrot-beak or double blade type?

There are varying qualities of secateurs from budget to professional quality. But why are there different types of blades fitted to secateurs? Usually, the range extends from bypass (or parrot-beak type), anvil and double blade. Bypass or Parrot-beak secateurs: as the name suggests the blade bypasses the counter blade to make a cut. (i.e. the…

Explaining Curculio Beetle or Apple Weevil in Olives!

Common Name: Curculio Beetle or Apple Weevil Scientific name: ‘Otiorrhynchus Cirbricollis’ One of the species of the Weevil family Curculionidae and is a native to the Mediterranean. In Australia, Curculio beetles or Apple Weevils are mainly known amongst Olive Growers in South Australia and Western Australia. Curculio Beetle is nocturnal so damage will occur during…