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<pre>Stan Kailis
Dear Stan,
I am sorry to have to use the poublic forum for a personal enquiry but
I can't find your email address.
My wife and I are debating whether to travel to Greece and Italy to have a look
at harvesting of olives for olive oil. The only problem is that we cannot go
until early November. After you waxing lyrical about Cretan oil we thought of
going there as well.
Is early November too late for Greece is our problem.
You can reply to my direct email address if you like.
Regards,

David & Trish Wilson
Glenlee Olive Grove


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<pre>Have been reading the mail with interest for the last couple of weeks. We
have recently bought some hillside acres near Balingup in the southwest of
WA, and are considering planting some of it with olives. Would be
interested in advice from anyone who is growing olives in the area - re:
most suitable varieties, pitfalls, expenses and the like.


Regards

Adrian and Cori Williams
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<pre>--- David Wilson <willo@ispdr.net.au> wrote: > Stan
Kailis

Dear David & Trish Wilson,
I'm importing olive-oil from Zakynthos, Ionion
Islands, and going there in wintertime since many
years. Harvesting is just starting there in November!
Greetings,
Herwig De Ridder

> Dear Stan,
> I am sorry to have to use the poublic forum
> for a personal enquiry but I can't find your email
> address.
> My wife and I are debating whether to travel to
> Greece and Italy to have a look at harvesting of
> olives for olive oil. The only problem is that we
> cannot go until early November. After you waxing
> lyrical about Cretan oil we thought of going there
> as well.
> Is early November too late for Greece is our
> problem.
> You can reply to my direct email address if you
> like.
> Regards,
>
> David & Trish Wilson
> Glenlee Olive Grove
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been
> removed]
>
>
>

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<pre>Dear David, Trish and others.

Yes Greece is a great place to be in November. Beat the tourists. Olives
are being harvested - early harvest before some cold weather around
Chritmas. Places to go are Crete - Sitia is the home of the best of the
Greek olive oils. I tried to read a Spanish report yesterday that I
think said that First Prize in the strong fruity olive oils went to the
oil from the Cooperative in Sitia. The best of the tourist route is to
start in Iraklion then head east to St Nicholas and Sitia and if you
have time the Lasithi Plateau and vai on the coast. Cars are relatively
cheap to hire. Then head back to Iraklion but go to Knossos
Archeological site before heading west to Rethimno. From here head south
to the Preveli Monastary - on the wau you see the real wild olive
growing on the hillsides. The monastery is on high country - a walk down
steep paths lead to small bays where Australian Soldiers were picked up
by submarines during world war 2 . After the walk a Swim in the
Mediterranean is a must. But remember the way up is harder. Australian
soldiers were taken in and protected by the monks. back to Rethimnon -
of course there are plenty of olive trees, then to Chania and Souda Bay.
Souda Bay was the site of bloody battles. Near the airport there is
another monastery that makes olive oil, they have a modern plant - I
think a Pirelesi. Chania is a Venetian port. Go to the internet and you
can see pictures. I have spent many days and weeks sitting around the
Venetian harbour enjoying fish and squid pan fried with olive oil and
lemon. Plenty of crusty bread, Greek salad and lightly boiled greens
with oil and vinegar. Of course Greek wine and beer to wash everything
down. This is capped off with a Greek coffee or was it Turkish????
Greeks don't dip bread in olive oil - it is part of the dish and the oil
left over with the residual flavour of the fppd cooked in it is mopped
up with lots of crusty bread. I warn you however, if you have sore feet
don't take your shoes off otherwise you will get reprimanded. Also
shorts are considered lowly. Between Chania and Souda bay is the
Subtropical Institute, famous for its research with Koroneiki. There are
many articles in Olivae from this institute. Out of Chania you should
take the Sanmaria Gorge walk - this takes the best part of the day.
Further west is another olive cooperative at Kolimbari - well worth a
visit. If you would like to go through the mountains by car go to
Paliachora- Coastal, small, wonderful food and no pressure.

On the mainland - two directions - First take a trip to Delphi, check
out the archelogical sites, then move to the coast to Etea - great olive
country - see olives growing traditionally - donkeys, goats, sheep and
Grandma picking olives off the pruned branches. Etea is near the Corinth
canal. Drive west along the coast and you can catch a ferry to the other
side - from there you can proceed to Kalamata - region for the famous
Kalamata olive. I could go on and on about Greece.

Now Italy - Arrive in Rome - head east over the hills and guess what
more olives just out of site of the Colleseum. From there head Tuscany
and Perugia. Good pasta has eluded me in the last couple of visits. My
most memorable was in the 70s where I had Spagetti Bolognaise in Bologne
in a basement tratoria. I also miss real Minestrone soup at the Railway
Station and the grated chees on top. Fast food and big macs reign. In
Tuscany visit the research institute at Scandicci which specialises in
olive propagation, University of Pisa and Florence. Visiting Perugia has
and added interest - the University is housed in a Benedictine Monastery
that also has a Medicinal Garden. From Florence the next stop is Bologna
and then to Parma. Professor Andrea Fabbri well known to many
Australians whenhe came to Perth a couple of years ago to conduct an
Olive Propagation Workshop. Professor Fabbri is researching cold
tolerance of olive varieties. He is also a specialist on olive flowering
and fruit set. When I visited Parma, Andrea took me to a traditional
Chees factory - Parmasan Cheese of course. Incredibly expensive but
delicious. We had a meal of Salami that Andrea had won in a half maraton
race, Parmesan cheese, crusty bread and coffee. He also has a friend
that has built a centre for growing medicinal foods and essential oil
plants.

Talking about food - the most important piece of equipment is a good
pockrt knife - the food that you can buy from Italian markets is
fabulous. Fresh fruit, vegetables, olives, bread vino etc.

Look forward to the following - Andrea is heading a team of
researchers/writes that are preparing the manuscript for a definitive
book on olive propagation. This will be published by CSIRO in 2002. The
Authors are Professor Andrea Fabbri (University of Parma), Drs Maurizio
Lambardi and Georgio Bartolini (CNR - Institute for the Propagation of
Woody Plants) and yours truly Stan Kailis (University of Western
Australia).

After leaving Parma - the next stop is Pescara (famous for its olive
Technology Institute) then down to Apulia - olives wall to wall. Look
you can go on and on to Calabria and finish up in Sicily - but that is
for another time. Calabria and Sicicly ar part of old Greece - Magna
Grecia so I have to be care ful what I say when there are a lot of
Italians around.

Cheers

Stan
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<pre>Olives in Ballingup

For the benefit of international and interstate reads - Ballingup is in
the southwest of Western Australia. The climate is Mediterranean - good
rainfall, low winter temperatures. Tourist area but not in the same
category as Margaret River ( Famous for its wines and beaches) .
Attractions revolve around the natural environment, horticulture, arts
and crafts.

When planting olives on hillsides-make sure that there is enough
sunlight - avoid shade. Also cold air flows down and settles in low
areas. Experience in Manjimup indicates that ripening may be incomplete
for some varieties - Check with Luigi Bazanni. Soil needs to be well
draining - more important than nutrition. For oil try Tuscan varieties -
for table olives try Leccino, Volos and Kalamata. Make sure that 3-4
varieties are planted. Some Kalamatas growing in the area have had
trouble fruiting - check with Sue and Malcolm Lee in Balingup.

Stan Kailis
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<pre>Dear Stan:

Your suggestions about Greece were wonderful.

I would like to add to your recommendations by stating that I have
found some of the olive oils produced in Mani (southeastern part of
the Peloponnese) and in the highlands of Kolymbari (northeastern
Crete) to be equal and sometimes superior in their organoleptic
qualities to the ones of Sitia. Both Mani and Kolymbari benefit from
their higher elevation which contributes to periods of lower winter
temperatures than the ones experienced in the olive groves of Sitia.
This cold shock effect benefits the quality of the olive oil that is
produced in these areas. All three areas use the Koroneiki variety
and produce a grassy, herbal, peppery oil of the highest quality. The
Koroneiki is also very disease resistant thus making organic
cultivation more feasible.

Of course, it all comes down to personal preference at the end. Thank
you for bringing back so many good memories from my time in Greece
with your postings.

Best regards,

Constantine
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<pre>Many thanks to all those who replied to my query on Greece in November.
Stan you didn't let me down. Your erudite tome has inspired me to buy our
tickets.
Regards,
David & Trish Wilson



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