Early Harvest Olive Oil
Early Harvest extra virgin olive oils, or ‘novello’ (translating as ‘young’ or ‘new’ from Italian) are becoming increasingly popular amongst fans of top quality olive oils.
But what are Early Harvest olive oils, and why are they becoming so popular?
What Are Early Harvest Olive Oils
As the name suggests, early harvest olive oils are typically oils that are produced in the first weeks of the harvest each year. It depends on the exact location of the olive trees, but for Puglian olive oils such as Boccadoro, this means only oils harvested before the end of November would be considered as early harvest. In fact, for many producers (including Boccadoro) the start of the harvest is even earlier, starting in October, so many early harvest or ‘novello’ olive oils are produced before November has started.
The earlier harvest means that the olives haven’t reached full maturity, so the flavour profile is different from olives allowed to remain on the trees for longer. This usually results in an olive oil with a more robust, intense flavour than later harvested olives. The colour of early harvest oils is initially an intense green, although this does tend to become more golden-yellow over time as the oil matures (with no deterioration in the quality of the oil). Most importantly, the levels of polyphenols and vitamins in the olives peak before maturity, so cold-pressing the olives earlier results in olive oils with higher levels of healthy antioxidants.
Why Are Early Harvest Olive Oils Becoming Popular
As research and understanding of the health benefits of extra virgin olive oil has increased over recent years and decades (see our previous blog on The Health Benefits of Olive Oil), and interest in EVOO as part of a healthy balanced diet has become more widespread, producers have looked at how to maximise the health benefits of their olive oils. As above, the levels of the healthy polyphenols and vitamins with their antioxidant properties are at their peak, so consumers looking for the healthiest olive oils will be attracted to early harvest extra virgin olive oil.
With the more robust flavours produced with early harvested olives, many chefs and home cooks love the different impact these oils can have on the food they prepare, particular when used ‘raw’ in marinades and dressings.
Why Are Early Harvest Oils More Expensive
Harvesting olives early in the season means the olives are still securely attached to the trees, meaning the process of removing them is more difficult, more time consuming and therefore increases the cost of production. Boccadoro Early Harvest Olive Oil is all harvested entirely by hand, with no machinery involved at all.
Additionally, as the olives are yet to reach maturity they tend to contain less oil than when harvested later in the season, so the yield is reduced (the number of kg of oil produced for every 100kg of olives going into the press, usually expressed as a %). This means the costs of cold-pressing per kg of oil produced are increased; prioritising quality over quantity.
Boccadoro Olive Oils
As all Boccadoro olive oils are harvested before the end of November each year, they would all technically be considered as early harvest. We do this to ensure that all the oils we produce are of the highest quality, with a more interesting flavour profile, and to guarantee they are one of the healthiest extra virgin olive oils available on the market, bursting with vitamins and polyphenols with their antioxidant properties.
Whilst Boccadoro Crystal is harvested in November, all our Early Harvest olive oil is strictly harvested before the end of October. Additionally, we bottle our Early Harvest olive oil immediately after cold-pressing, without any additional filtrations or other processes: capturing 100% of the essence of the harvest and producing a traditional, cloudy, unfiltered extra virgin olive oil.
You can buy your own bottle of Boccadoro Early Harvest here!