| The
best way to harvest the ripe olives is to pick them one
by one and gather them in a woven, natural fiber basket.
This method is known in Italy as the "brucatura"
and is the best way to protect the olives from bruising. |
During
harvesting and transporting, it is very important that the
olives are not bruised. For this reason, the olives
are gathered in low baskets or crates, and not in sacks. |
Once
the harvested olives reach the olive mill, they are removed
from the baskets and spread out in wooden flats which are
stacked, one on top of the other, leaving enough space in
between to allow air to circulate. |
The
olives are then passed over a vibrating belt to separate
them from any remaining leaves and twigs. |
