green olive, black olive

While exploring Nicolina´s garden, I spotted so many different trees: grenadine, grape, olive, orange and other unidentified species (it was winter and thus many trees were “naked”).

As I analyzed the olive tree, I realized that on that same tree tiny green and black olives were hanging. There were only the small ones left because on the week before, Nicolina´s mom had picked the ripe ones – which I ate for lunch that day.

From that small harvest, some olives are saved to make olive oil. In the small village of Ergates, where time seems to have paused, a characteristic shared by most villages in Cyprus, they use olive oil made from their own olives.

In Nicolina´s house, most of the food is fresh picked and cooked daily. I love the village life of picking your food from your own garden.

I was truly intrigued looking up at that olive tree. Green and black olives living in peace, side by side in the olive tree. I always thought they came from different trees!

Then I thought – are the black ones spoiled?

I had to check with Nicolina´s mother! So she explained the great phenomenon.

Green olives, as the adjective says, are green – picked during August and September. The black or ripe olives are picked in the following months.

picture: inmagine

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