A first guest blog from Helen Milsom, an expat living in Split. There is nothing quite like one's first olive harvest... 

I can’t help feeling slightly amused by writing this piece. Mostly because of the fact I don’t love olives. I was always that person who would try to discreetly pick them out of food served with them. In recent years I have acquired a slight fondness and no longer pick them out. There is hope.

However, I do love olive oil and have been researching olives and olive oil production here in Croatia for possible export along with other foods. I recently spent 5 wonderful days in scenic Istria visiting many olive growers. Finding out about the volumes they produce and of course tasting. Tasting varieties of oils, like tasting wines, would take time to fully appreciate the differences of course. The hospitality of the people I met along the way was always warm and friendly. Often being asked to join a family for a meal and some wine was a special treat.

Many of the people I met in Istria were aware that in Dalmatia some of the olive growers will soak their olives in sea water for a period of time after the harvest and before the olives go to the mill to make the oil. They could not see the reasoning for this as they make it a point to harvest and get the olives to the mill as soon as possible. So I wanted to find out why.

Upon returning to Split it was getting close to harvest time. A neighbour made an arrangement for me to help out on the family farm in Sutivan on Brac. Her father was to meet me at the ferry and I would stay in her apartment above the family home. I had never met this man nor any of my neighbours’ family for that matter.

My introduction to Tomislav Miletic. Standing at almost 2 meters he was not hard to spot upon my arrival. Oh so friendly and loves to joke. He met me along with his second cousin Marina who had arrived on an earlier ferry. Leaving the dock we drove the short distance to Sutivan. The apartment had been stocked with food and other provisions, although I ate all my meals with the family. The 3 of us then drove all of 5 minutes away to the farm or as Tomislav calls it the Ranc. The Ranc is on a terraced hillside overlooking Sutivan with the sea beyond and view of Split and mountains in the distance. There is a small building with couches, table and cupboards for food, dishes etc. On the walls are framed certificates of awards for the olive oil, family memorabilia and the family coat of arms dating back 1627. The Miletic family have had the property during all that time. Attached to the small building is a covered outside area with 2 large tables, a wood burning stove and a bbq area. There is no electricity. Tomislav calls the ranc “my heaven” and says he spends a lot of time there, sometimes even sleeping over.

There are about 350 trees on the property and at least 50 of the trees are 400 years old. The remaining are no less than 200.

Right, so up at 6am the next morning. 2 cups of tea for this English lady, then onto the back of a scooter and off to the ranc. Upon arrival I put on an apron with a big kangaroo pouch in front. I met other family members up at the top of the property and started picking. The olives are picked by hand. No machinery or rakes. There is something nice about knowing each and every olive has been touched by a human hand. I learned very quickly not to fill my apron too full before pouring out and depositing into the buckets. Oh my aching back. While I was absolutely not the fastest picker, I did get into a rhythm.

About 11-11:30 each day we would stop and take a break. Loaves of bread laid out, cheese, ham, hard boiled eggs, anchovies, sardines, and mandarins. Of course olive oil….and wine! After the break it was back to the trees. Each filled bucket would be poured into mesh bags then weighed. The bags then placed in huge containers, containing seawater! Ah ha! So what is that all about? Tomislav says he’s been doing that for years and is adamant that it helps draw out any bitterness from the olives. Once all the olives have been harvested they will continue to soak for at least another 5 days before going to the mill.

We had beautiful weather during the harvest. Fresh cool mornings gradually heating up in as the day wore on. Mind you even though at times I would feel quite warm in the afternoon, I kept long sleeves on. Oh my scratched arms. At the end of each working day we would be treated to a wonderful dinner. Fresh caught mackeral on the fire, chicken, sausages, beans, cabbage, salads…..all sorts. Nobody stayed up late needless to say as the next day would be another long one.

While picking each day sometimes there would be several of us working on the same tree and other times when more family arrived we would be spread out among 2, 3 or 4 trees. There was a lot of chit chat, most of which I could not understand. Note to self, contact Croatian language teacher to resume lessons. Most of the conversation was the family catching up with each other, having a joke, talking politics and the like. There was plenty of laughter, banter and other times quiet. I’d catch myself “zoning” out and just being with my own thoughts and feelings. Often I’d look up from the branches and look out gazing over the picturesque vista. Beautiful and peaceful at the same time.

On the morning of Sunday November 1st Liljana Miletic suggested I might find it interesting to join some other family members and see where the family graves were near St.Roka church and to also visit the catacombs in the cemetery. After following a procession to the cemetery we laid flowers and lit candles at the family grave. Then walked over to what looked like raised graves with windows. They were porthole windows to the catacombs below. Beyond was a small structure with a door open and winding staircase down to the catacombs. There are rows upon rows of numbered graves stacked on top of each other. Half way up there is a track with a platform that can move along amongst the graves. I was told the graves are there for people who do not have money for an expensive burial or for people who have nobody and died alone. It was sad for me. Still, I appreciated having had the opportunity to see this.

One day I was taken to the mill in the tiny town of Lozisca. It was all systems go there as many other farmers are starting to bring in their olives. I met the owner who allowed me to carefully walk about and take photos. This is where Tomislav would be bringing his olives as he prefers their traditional cold press method.

Each mesh bag is weighed again and poured in to a large container where the olives get a good rinse. From there they are shot out into the grinder. A quick process. The ground mash then comes out at a controlled speed by an operator and onto round mesh mats that rotate. Once the mat is covered it is stacked on a pile until there are approximately 60 mats with layers of olive mash in between. The stack gets wheeled over to a hydraulic press where 400psi of pressure is applied. This is done for 1 hour and during that time you can see the oil and water seeping through the mats and down the sides. The oil/water goes through a filter to capture any bits that may have got through the mats. Then onto a large tank where the water and oil separate and each is extracted into different containers. It was a treat to sample the freshly pressed oil. Once the hour is up the stacks are moved off the hydraulic press and each mat is cleared of the remnants and will later be used in animal feed.

After the visit to the mill we did go to another mill that uses a more modern way to extract the oil. Warm press. It’s likely faster and uses a centrifuge. Mr.Miletic prefers the cold press as he feels the warm press interferes with the integrity of the molecular structure of the oil and does not have as long a shelf life as cold pressed oil.

We finished the harvest in 6 ½ days. Had a final finished the harvest meal and then packed up. The next day as the ferry pulled away from the dock it was yet another gorgeous warm sunny day. I had a big smile on my face and reflected on my week. I was so glad to have participated in the harvest, learn more and most of all spend time with a lovely family. Hvala liepa Obitelj Miletic. So that’s “olive” of it. Had to “squeeze” that in…..hahaha. Groan