{"id":19438,"date":"2017-06-13T23:26:00","date_gmt":"2017-06-13T20:26:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tstories.gr\/?p=19438\/"},"modified":"2017-06-13T23:28:56","modified_gmt":"2017-06-13T20:28:56","slug":"the-olive-harvest-in-crete","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tstories.gr\/en\/the-olive-harvest-in-crete\/","title":{"rendered":"The day I joined the olive harvest in Crete!"},"content":{"rendered":"

Olive harvest! That’s right!<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

I did it \u2013 or at least I tried! And, while I am from Kalamata \u2013 a city known for its olive oil of excellent quality \u2013 it was in Crete, Heraklion where I first experienced the traditional olive pricking process.<\/p>\n

As you should know by now, I am the kind of traveller who loves to wander off the beaten track, looking for unique corners, chatting with the locals, making a plan of my own without strictly following a map or a must-see guide.<\/p>\n

That’s kind of my thing and I can’t resist invitations that include new experiences, exciting new places and interesting people\u00a0 \u2013 I’ll be packing in the blink of an eye.<\/p>\n

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This time, the invitation came from Korres (a Greek skincare brand with roots in the first Homeopathic Pharmacy of Athens)<\/span><\/strong> to celebrate the launch of the new Pure Greek Olive<\/strong><\/span><\/a>\u00a0line with the supreme variety of virgin olive oil. I was to attend the olive picking<\/strong><\/span>, learn more about the olive harvest from the oil producers themselves, as well as taste, feel and experience the process in such a magical place like Crete.<\/p>\n

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I was already packing for Heraklion as my best friends were left wondering how I decided to join the olive picking since I had never been in one even at my hometown in Kalamata while others pointed out that what constantly motivates me is to feel challenged \u2013 good point I guess.<\/p>\n

That was the case with this trip. It was the perfect opportunity for me to discover whether the actual ingredients used to make a product matched the ones on the product’s label \u2013 we’ve all wondered the same thing from time to time. I was about to find out.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

There was in Heraklion on a Tuesday evening along with a team of beauty bloggers and editors, enjoying the most delicious welcome meal we could possibly ask for \u2013 that was just the beginning of the most tasteful trip as it turned out to be. “They need us to be strong and full of energy for the olive picking tomorrow” I thought to myself. Haha!<\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/BPYV6-Xgt0k\/<\/p>\n

We had a great meal at Peskesi restaurant where we were greeted with the most AMAZING raki cocktails I’ve ever had, tangerine jam, tangerines, honey and lemon and the list goes on: tradtional Cretan ntakos, marathopita, sausages and Cretan graviera cheese. More traditional Cretan delicacies included syglino \u2013 smoked and salted pork bites \u2013 goat meat in the oven, kreokakavos and egg noodles. The night ended with millefeuille from mizithra cheese, homemade apple pie and caramel cream. The highlight of the night was, of course, the pure greek olive oil \u2013 the locals were particularly proud of its excellent quality.<\/p>\n

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\u03a4he morning after I was ready to kick start my day, excited for the new adventures ahead. Marinela Mamalaki would be my guide for the day. Destination? The Messara area.<\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/BPcGorLlK6X\/<\/p>\n

Messara<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Messara lies right in the heart of Crete in a 300.000 square foot area in Heraklion. Minoan olive mills have been discovered in Messara \u2013 a significant proof of the importance the olive tree and virgin olive oil played through the centuries in Crete.\u00a0 A Messinian type of grown olive fruit, the ‘Koroneiki’ variety primarily grows here \u2013 it was my turn to feel proud for my roots.The vast Messara Plain with its abundance of olives and its renowned virgin olive oil is where Korres turned to in order to create its new olive oil-based line of products in collaboration with the Organic Farmers Association of Messara.<\/p>\n

After a short ride, we had the opportunity to wander among the vast plain, chat with the local olive producers, learned about the history of Messara and the importance of olive oil exports for both Crete and Greece in general.<\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/BPfCgpDF2jW\/<\/p>\n

Before learning more about the oil harvest first hand, we first admired the mesmerizing view of the Messara plain from above: Psiloreitis Mountains to the north Asterousia Mountains at the south and the endless blue of the Libyan Sea in the west.<\/p>\n

I came for the olive – the harvesting<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

We finally joined a member of the Messara Farmers Association and George Stavropoulos, the KORRES Research & Development Specialist to witness the olive picking. The producers and workers at the olive grove were equipped with a long stick called ‘ntebles’ in Greek to harvest the trees.<\/p>\n

By the time we were in Crete to join the olive picking, most of the olive groves were harvested and these were the last of this year’s production.<\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/BPZ-DbXACTH\/<\/p>\n

We were then offered a small rake-like equipment to try the harvesting ourselves \u2013 not with much success I shall say since we mostly played, took Instagram shots and laughed a lot but the effort counts, right?<\/p>\n

It is not all fun and games though; olive picking is actually a difficult task. It requires days or months to be completed while the oil producers treat the trees with respect and love, much like they were their own kids \u2013 or better, their daughters.<\/p>\n

I thought it was kind of odd at first, listening to the producers refer to the trees like human beings calling them their “girls”, saying they needed constant care all-year long so they could produce the best fruit possible.<\/p>\n\n\t\t