Olive plantation near Bunyola by resuimages

About "Olive plantation near Bunyola"

by resuimages

About the artwork

An olive plantation, here near Bunyola, is often found on Mallorca. Mostly, the olive trees grow on dry and calcareous soils, where it would not be worthwhile to plant fields. The olive tree is one of the oldest cultivated plants and was brought to the Mediterranean from the Middle East. Olive trees bear their first fruit when they are 4 - 10 years old. When they are over 70, they have their best years behind them and the yield decreases. However, the trees can reach a great age of up to 1500 years. The harvest time for olives begins in September and lasts until February. First, unripe green olives are harvested. At the beginning of December, the black olives are harvested. If you try an olive from the tree, it will be considered inedible. If you put them in salt, the bitter taste is removed and they become edible. To produce olive oil, the fruits are first cleaned. Now leaves and small branches are sorted out. Then the olives are ground to a pulp. The pulp is then spread on bast mats. These are then stacked on top of each other and placed in a hydraulic press. Now the pressing process begins. Here, the temperature of the oil is monitored and must not rise above 30 degrees. Too much heat affects the taste and the vitamin content of the oil. Olive oil in moderation is very healthy. It protects against heart and circulatory diseases and is also said to protect against cancer and gallstones.