Early Harvest Olive Oil: Why Palestinians Wait All Year for the First Oil

The short answer: early harvest olive oil is pressed from olives picked at the very start of the season, while they are still green or just turning color. In Palestine that means October. Green olives give less oil, but that oil is greener, grassier and more peppery, and it carries more polyphenols, the natural antioxidants olive oil is prized for. It’s made in small amounts and costs more, and for many Palestinian families it’s the most anticipated taste of the year.

In Palestine, the year has a rhythm. The first rains of September, talat al-matar, wash the dust from the trees, and people say they bring barakeh, blessings, for the season ahead. Then comes mawsim al-zaytoun, the olive season. And the first oil to come out of the mill, is something every family waits for. It’s bright green, cloudy and so peppery it catches in your throat, and it’s eaten that same day with warm bread.

What “early harvest” actually means

Olives change as they ripen. In early autumn they are firm and green. Over the following weeks they turn violet, then black, and fill with more oil.

• Early harvest: green to just-turning olives, picked at the start of the season. Less oil per tree, more intensity.
• Mid or full harvest: olives picked as they ripen through the season. More oil, a softer and rounder flavor.
• Late harvest: fully black, ripe olives. The most oil, the mildest taste and the fewest polyphenols.

Why early harvest olive oil tastes different

Green olives are full of chlorophyll and polyphenols and comparatively low in oil. That shows up in the bottle:

• Color: deep green, sometimes almost emerald
• Aroma: fresh-cut grass, green tomato leaf, artichoke, green almond
• Taste: bold and bitter, with a peppery sting at the back of the throat

That bitterness and pepper are not flaws. They’re the taste of polyphenols. Over the following months, a fresh early harvest oil softens and rounds out.

Is early harvest olive oil healthier?

It tends to be richer in polyphenols. Polyphenols build up in the olive before the oil does, and their levels fall as the fruit ripens, so oil from early-harvested olives generally contains more of them. Those polyphenols also help protect the oil itself from oxidation, so a well-stored early harvest oil holds its freshness well.

That said, any fresh, well-made extra virgin olive oil is a healthy choice. (Read more in our guide to the healthiest type of olive oil.)

Why it costs more

Green olives simply give less oil. Producers estimate an early harvest can yield 30–50% less oil than fully ripe fruit. The same trees, the same hand-picking and the same trip to the mill produce noticeably fewer bottles. That’s why early harvest oil is usually a small, limited batch, and why it’s priced above everyday oil.

The Palestinian olive harvest

The harvest runs from October into November. Whole families go to the groves, spread nets under the trees and pick together. Grandmothers sort, children climb, and lunch is eaten between the trees. Most Palestinian oil comes from the Nabali olive, the traditional variety of the hills. Smaller amounts come from varieties such as Souri, a small, firm olive prized for intense oil.

Almost half of the cultivated land in Palestine is planted with olive trees, and more than 100,000 families rely on the harvest. About 90% of the olives are pressed into oil. (Read more about the olive tree in Palestinian life.)

How to enjoy early harvest olive oil

Use it where you’ll taste it:

• With bread and za’atar, the Palestinian way. Dip the bread in the oil, then in our Premium Za’atar Blend.
• Drizzled over hummus, labneh, lentil soup or grilled vegetables just before serving. Homemade hummus starts with good Palestinian tahini.
• On salads, with lemon, salt and a pinch of sumac
• Over warm potatoes, beans or eggs

Save your everyday extra virgin, like our 1 L extra virgin olive oil tin, for long cooking, and keep the early harvest for finishing.

New to Palestinian olive oil? Our Mini Gift Box ($16) pairs 100 ml of extra virgin olive oil with za’atar, the perfect first taste.

How to buy and store it

1. Look for the harvest date and season (for example, “Harvest 2026”). Early harvest oil is at its most intense in the first months after pressing.
2. Choose dark glass or a tin, and keep it away from heat and light. A tin, like our organic extra virgin olive oil in a 500 ml tin, blocks light completely.
3. Buy what you’ll use within about a year, so you enjoy it at its best.
4. Order early. Limited batches sell out.

Our 2026 harvest

Right now, our farmers in Palestine are picking and pressing this season’s olives. Our 2026 harvest comes in a limited 500 ml edition, and for families who use olive oil every day, our 15 kg (16.4 L) olive oil tin brings home a whole season’s worth. Both are made in small quantities.

Join The 2026 Season Early Access List →

Sources: Al Jazeera, Palestine’s olives: a visual guide to the harvest; Olive Oil Times, selecting high-polyphenol olive oils; La Tourangelle, early harvest yields.