Whilst Mallorca’s grape harvest makes big headlines every year here and abroad, the island’s annual olive harvest gets underway rather unnoticed and overlooked. I have you know that in the foothills of the Tramuntana mountains this year’s olive harvest began last week. Last year, in 2010, a bumper harvest was recorded amongst Mallorca’s olive groves, resulting in the largest production of olive oil for years, here. This year, the weather was adverse for such record yields due to the unusually long spell of dry conditions and a severe lack of rain. In 2011, it looks like a drastic shortfall in olive reaping will have to be recorded here in Mallorca, albeit with a superior quality when compared with the normal Empeltre (shown here), Arbequina, Picual or Hojiblanca (Mallorca’s main olive varieties) crop. Rumours have it that the quantity of last year’s olive oil pressing resulted in a substantial surplus. It is widely expected that as a result retail price levels for Mallorcan olive oil will come down somewhat. Prices for crude olives are down considerably on last year’s wholesale levels.

Es Fangar, a German-owned, self-proclaimed organic farm in the East of the island seems to have opted for a different strategy. Their self-pressed olive oil combines Picual, Arbequina, Serrana and Villalonga varieties and is retailed almost exclusively in Switzerland, where 500 ml sell for the equivalent of 25 €. It is said to be good, though. Not that I have been to Switzerland recently, and I have not found it in any Mallorcan shops so far.

The pueblo of Caimari will hold its annual Fira de s’Oliva from November 19th to 20th. A Fira de s’Oli i Gerret (a small fish) will be held in Port de Sóller, November 26th and 27th.

The photo was chosen from my archive. It was taken near Caimari, Mallorca, Baleares, Spain. The date: November 12th, 2008. The time was 12:29:47.