Field Notes | Olive Harvest 2026: A letter from Farmer Brooke

Here in Northern California, we have had two years in a row of extremes, for both olives as well as all crops cultivated for food production within the region. Last year was a very late harvest year, which can happen maybe every 5-7 years on average. This can result in relatively low oil yields, as the olives are not receiving enough long, warm days in order to accumulate oil. 

This year, the olive harvest in Northern California began in late September and early October with abnormally warm weather conditions. While our own fruit will not be harvested until the first week of November, the daytime heat has persisted up until this past week where we've noticed a shift in daytime and nighttime temperatures, at least in West County where the diurnal temperature shift results in greater extremes between the foggy mornings and bright sunny afternoons. 

As our custom milling clients begin their harvest, we encourage them to be mindful of where they store their olives - both during harvest and post harvest - in order to protect the fruits from overheating. In some cases, this can cause oxidation, leading to degradation of the oil quality. Ensure the olives - as well as the harvest team - are provided with adequate shade throughout the day. 

In general, we’ve observed that many olives are being harvested earlier than necessary, before they have reached a peak state of ripeness. While this may help to accomplish a more pungent and robust olive oil, however, an early harvest will result in a reduced oil yeild overall. 

It’s a fine balance, determining when to harvest, which will necessarily change from year to year. Both the nature of the past year’s weather patterns and the microclimate in which you grow must be considered. My best recommendation is to wait another week past what most growers would normal target for their harvest, and to observe how this changes the yields. 

Happy Harvest. Be Safe,

Farmer Brooke