Provence is the land of olive trees! Here in the Durance region, between Les Mées and Oraison, there are more than 80,000 olive trees – many of them centuries-old – producing “AOP Haute-Provence Olive Oil.
It’s in this exceptional environment that Little Carpe Diem is situated, on former olive fields.
In this region of Provence, family histories revolve around the family “olive grove”: an orchard of ten to fifty trees that need pruning, irrigation, and harvesting depending on the season. Family and neighbors come together to share these yearly tasks. Our small campsite follows this ancestral tradition by harvesting olives from the camp’s hundred trees each year to make our own oil.
Thus, every last weekend of November, Sylvain & Mélanie invite family, friends, acquaintances, and neighbors to the “Olivades,” the name given to the olive harvest. In Provence, there’s little mechanization: no big tractors or vibrators! The old olive trees are delicate and deserve respect and attention.
So, the harvest begins: after placing nets under the trees, everyone has their technique. Manual rakes are used to “cap” branches full of olives to make them fall into the nets, or more acrobatically, the daring climb the trees to reach the high branches.
The arduous work of the past was also done with a “flail” – a long pole to “whip” around the tree to release the olives. The only modernity introduced at the campsite today is the use of a “vibrating rake,” which reduces the physical strain.
Olivades are a celebration! Many people gather, talk, sing, and listen to music – a chance to reconnect with friends and share small moments. Good meals are also necessary because “Olivaring” (yes, it’s a verb too 🙂 ) is not easy; arms and legs are at work!
When the net is full and the tree is empty, we move on to the next one. Then, we collect the olives in crates and “pallox,” large agricultural crates, before heading to the mill.
In the Durance region, several private mills offer their services. We work with “Domaine Salvator” [https://domainesalvator.fr/], professionals in olive oil. We got to know Sophie and Frédéric through our children’s school – they are located 5km from the campsite. Their machines allow for “small” pressings, ensuring that we get only the oil from our olives!
The olive harvest timing is dictated by the weather and olive maturity. While the old folks harvested until January(!), today’s harvests usually start in mid-November, depending on sunlight and spring and late-summer rains. This early harvest prevents losing olives that fall before Olivade, resulting in fresh, herbaceous, and slightly lemony oil. The harvested olives are mostly green, transitioning to violet for those exposed to the sun.
At Little Carpe Diem, these three days of celebration and work allow us to harvest all the trees. This 1-ton olive harvest will give us approximately 240 liters of “campsite” olive oil that we offer to our campers throughout the summer!
Everyone leaves tired but happy from the shared moments, each with a bottle of oil, a concentrate of Provence’s sunshine… until next year!
—> Watch the documentary on the Olivade 2023 (thanks to Coline, our eldest daughter!) <—