Olives Olive Oil

In Israel’s largest Druze village of Yarka, the production of olive oil is the community’s livelihood. Following the first rains of the season when the olives are said to be ready for picking, extended families rally to harvest their trees, and then for the next six to eight weeks they are busy making extra virgin olive oil.

Groves of Israel’s national tree, the olive, are distributed proudly over the fertile northern region of the country. Ancient olive trees, some over 2000 years old, with protrusions, holes and twisted trunks, still bear fruit. These trees alone add value to the land that has been the Druze heritage for generations, and the older the tree the more status the family has within the community.