Monday, September 17, 2007

THE OLIVE TREE


As legend says ...... the OLIVE TREE was a gift of the goddess Athena to the Greek.

Legends says that Athena and Poseidon were competing for the affection of the people of Athens, during the contest Poseidon created the horse and explained to the gods that the horse would aid mankind in there labors. Then Athena struck the ground with her spear and the Olive tree sprout, she said that this tree would create food for mankind and oil to light their candles ....

Last week I had the opportunity to spend a week in Greece visiting different agricultural regions. The last two days I spend them in Crete and it was a great trip. One thing that really struck me was the Olive tree. In the past I had visited some Olive plantations in Chile, California and Spain but seeing miles and miles of Olive trees in a barren desert was amazing.

And also any kind of salad or meal we had was made with Olive oil it was just an amazing experience. The Olive tree with just a little bit of care can life for thousands of years. As a matter of fact in the island of Crete a tree has been dated to be around 2100 years old.

Seen this magnificent tree grow cultivated and wild was just amazing.

Tell me what you think about the Olive trees some of my friends who read this blog are from the Mediterranean.. let us know what you do with the Olive tree ....