On one of the backroads to our hunting place (Navarro Coubty)I had noticed for several years an old lady working amongst a few trees in her pasture nearly every time I went by, I soon figured out they were olive trees so did some research and found they will grow in this part of Texas but are subject to freeze kill. The old lady passed away and the place went derelict for 3-4 years but as soon as legally possible her children put the place up for sale. So, I bought the place and soon found that there were more than a few trees, my wife has counted 519 (five diferent varieties according to her meticulously handwritten notes)and still has more to weedeat around and count. Many are currently covered with olives and I want to press some olive oil when they become ripe (olive oil presses included in the tons of junk left behind), any one have any practical experience, tips or cautions?

One of the houses we toured in Moreno Valley when we moved back here had 13 full-grown olive trees and its own well, in a residential neighborhood. We did not buy it, my wife was unimpressed, but I thought it was a splendid temptation. We have one olive tree in our current back yard, the birds relieve us of the necessity to do something with the olives. There is another one in a pot, whose origin is a mystery. I'm not sure where to put it.

Whenever I hear of olive trees, I remember my time in the US.

There were so many adverts on TV offering Americans the chance of planting an olive tree for them in Israel!

Credit cards accepted!

I suspect if every olive tree bought was actually planted, Israel, the Sinai desert and all North Africa would bee green by now!

I don’t remember those but I bet “administrative”expenses were pretty high.

quote:

I suspect if every olive tree bought was actually planted, Israel, the Sinai desert and all North Africa would bee green by now!

Well, according to the JNF, the Israelis have planted over 240 million trees in Israel since 1948. That's a lot of damn trees. Somebody is spending their money. And, not all are Olive Trees, although that's the no. 1 planted tree.

Check out YouTube. Should be a lot of info. At one time you could get free guides from the your state ag advisor. I had one on olive oil production 30 years ago. It is long gone. Try California Dept of Agriculture if Tx does not have a guide.