We've already had the first rain of the season, which means that the olive harvest season has officially begun. From the north of Israel all the way to its southern tip, you can see people harvesting olives. Olive harvests take place across cultures and religions. You can see Jews and Arabs, Druse and Beduin all rolling up their sleeves and engaging in the hard work of harvesting olives, from which they produce thick and aromatic olive oil. Olive trees are an important symbol in many cultures, and in this part of the world they are found just about everywhere. The numerous olive presses scattered around the country are proof that people living here 6,000 years ago were involved in producing olive oil. If you'd like to take part in this age-old tradition, I recommend attending the 22nd annual Olive Festival, taking place from now until Saturday night, November 19, throughout the Galilee and the Golan Heights. Kfar Kedem-Hoshaya Located near ancient Tzipori, Kfar Kedem offers travelers of all ages an authentic Galilean experience. During the festival, there will be tours of olive groves, during which visitors can participate in an olive harvest and see how olive oil is made with ancient olive presses. Afterwards, you can learn how to make cheese and bake pitot, and even ride on a donkey. Dates: November 18 and 25, at 11:30 a.m. Activities last two hours. Price: NIS 85 per person. Pre-registration required: (04) 656-5511 Lavido Nahalal The visitors' center at Lavido Nahalal, the natural organic cosmetics brand, will be holding workshops and aromatherapy tutorials during the festival, enabling participants to learn how to prepare herbal and medicinal oils, body creams and aromatic air fresheners. During a free tour, guests can visit the orchard where herbs are grown for the oils and hear about the natural organic products that Lavido produces. Price: NIS 10 per person. Workshop pre-registration required: (04) 651-5131 Golan Heights The Golan Heights Olive Press in the Katzrin Industrial Zone invites the public to learn how to produce olive oil and olive oil-based natural cosmetics. An ecological factory located inside a classic basilica structure, the Golan Heights Olive Press offers tours in which participants learn about how oil was produced and used in ancient times. Guests can also watch a short film about how much olive presses have contributed to the environment and our world, and touch an exfoliating soap made from crushed olives. The tour ends, of course, at the tasting counter. Length: 30 to 60 minutes Price: NIS 14. Hours: Sunday to Thursday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Friday 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sindyanna of Galilee Sindyanna of Galilee invites olive lovers to join a tour of its olive packaging plant. During the tour, participants will be given tastes of olive oil and explained how to tell once and for all if olive oil is of high quality or not. In addition, Sindyanna offers za'atar, cooking, and baking workshops where you'll learn to prepare pastries with goat cheese. At the end, guests can watch a short film about the olive oil production process. Dates: During November, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Price: NIS 15 for a guided tour in a group of 10 people or more. Workshops: NIS 50 in groups of five people or more. Pre-registration required: 050-433-0039. Sajur Village The Druse Village of Sajur is home to centuries-old olive trees, houses and graves of righteous people, as well as a sacred tree. This weekend there will be guided tours of Sajur that will lead guests through the olive groves, the olive press and a unique artistic project called Talking Walls. In addition, locally made delicacies will be on sale in the center of the village. Dates: November 18 and 19, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Price: Activities are free of charge. Pre-registration required: Hamud Sari, 050-723-3670. Kibbutz Parod The Saba Haviv Olive Press in Kibbutz Parod invites the public to partake in a variety of activities connected with olives. There will be a film, olive-oil tastings, olive pressing and ceramic jug painting. In addition, the works of local artists and locally made delicacies will be on sale to guests. Dates: Saturdays during November, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Price: All workshops are free of charge. Pre-registration required: 052-806- 1144. Moshav Kalanit The Jahshan Farm on Moshav Kalanit invites the public to an exciting olive oil workshop. First, guests will watch a short film about the olive-oil production process, organic tea, special herbs and natural cosmetics. Afterwards, there will be workshops where guests will learn how to press olives, make labaneh balls with olive oil, fill jars with colored sand and make art projects with balloons. At the end, you can browse though the gift shop and buy a variety of locally made food items. Hours: 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Price: Tours and workshops are free of charge. Details: 050-788-1481. Ein Camonim At the Ein Camonim olive press you'll see how the past has influenced the present. Guests will learn how oil was produced 250 years ago using millstones in a manner that kept the flavor and aroma of the oil intact. In addition, you'll be able to taste different types of olive oil, wander around the farm, and also eat in the restaurant, whose menu is based on locally grown produce. Dates: Daily, 9:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Workshop pre-registration required: 052-371-9023. Deir Hanna Located in the Lower Galilee, Deir Hanna is the ideal place to find ancient olive trees. This relatively small area has an extremely high concentration of large, impressive-looking olive trees that yield thousands of high quality, succulent olives this time of year. Deir Hanna residents invite the public to take part in the extensive activities taking place in the olive groves, as well as on the narrow village alleyways, the heritage house, the mosque and the church. In addition, there will be an olive pressing workshop and cultural shows in the Um Moris house. Hours: Throughout the weekend, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tours leave every hour on the hour. Price: Free. Details: 052-283-4403. Translated by Hannah Hochner.
A typical olive tree in the northern part of the country(photo credit: SALEH DAXI)