The ancient olive
For centuries, the olive has played a major role in Kalkan life.  Slow growing, needing little water, surviving the hottest summers and coldest winter months, its silvery grey leaves and gnarled trunk have become a symbol of the Mediterranean.

Ancient civilisations believed that the origin of the olive tree was explained by a Greek legend, in which Zeus organised a contest between Athena and Poseidon.  A prize would be awarded to whoever provided the most useful gift.  Poseidon produced a magnificent horse, but Athena supplied an olive tree and was declared the winner and, as a result, Athens was named after her.  Since then, the olive tree has been valued throughout history, as a symbol of peace and prosperity.

Cultivating and using the olive
The first record of commercial olive cultivation dates back more than 6,000 years to Syria and the cultivation of the olive commercially spread throughout Asia Minor  and along the Mediterranean.

In the Koran there are references to the use of olive oil for lamps and in the Old Testament, after the flood, Noah sent out a dove which returned with an olive twig in its beak..

The olive tree is often described as ‘the tree of life’ - every part of it is useful.  The fruit is eaten and is pressed to provide olive oil, which in turn is used for cooking, for making soap (once an important industry in Kalkan), shampoo and creams.  The pulp from the pressed olives is used as fertiliser.

Olive wood is prized for making wooden objects including bowls, plates and spoons, and many modern designers are using olive wood in furniture making.  The leaves and shoots which are cut back from the trees are fed to goats and the thinned branches of the olive tree are used for fires for both cooking and heating.

Throughout the autumn and winter months in and around Kalkan, when the olive harvest has been collected, it is a common sight to see elderly people, bent almost to the ground, carrying a huge bundle of olive branches on their back, taking home the wood from their trees; wood which will provide warmth throughout the winter months.

The olive tree adapts to its environment.  Its roots reach varying depths depending on the structure of the soil where it grows.  In the rocky terrain of Kalkan, it grows abundantly, surviving with little moisture and no fertiliser.  It takes between fifteen and twenty years for an olive tree to reach full growth, and it can produce olives for up to 150 years.  So the olive tree you plant today could provide olives for your great, great, great grandchildren.

Olive trees which are hundreds of years old can be found throughout Turkey, where it is estimated there are over 140 million olive trees. Eighty percent of the olives grown here are used to make oil, the rest are eaten.

The life cycle of the olive tree
The Mediterranean climate determines the life cycle of the olive tree.  From November to February, during the winter months, it is dormant.  Spring, in March and April, brings new life, and existing branches sprout new shoots.  The tree blossoms and flowers between April and June. 

At this time in Kalkan, the wise don’t go out without covering their heads.  For it is now that the dreaded olive fly appears, biting the heads, necks and faces of unsuspecting tourists, leaving wounds which swell and fester.  No amount of insect repellent deters these creatures, the only way to escape is to buy the largest hat you can find and wear it whenever you are out of doors, even in the swimming pool.

In July and August, the olive fruit develops, reaching maturity by October.  Harvest time is from October to February and entire families will help gather the crop.  The olive trees are shaken and hit with long poles and the fallen olives gathered from the ground.  In many villages, (but not Kalkan), there is an olive oil pressing factory, where the olives grown for domestic use are taken to be pressed and, in a good harvest, the resulting oil provides for a family until the next crop comes around.

Commercial importance of the olive
Turkey is the second largest producer in the world of olives for eating and fourth in the production of olive oil. Olive oil production continues to grow and with many specialised producers now creating organic extra virgin olive oils which are winning prizes internationally, Turkey is rapidly gaining a world wide reputation for the quality of its olives and oils.

Over five hundred thousand families in Turkey gain their livelihood from the olive sector and jobs for eight to ten million people are created by this most important trade.

Enjoy what is around you
So next time you are out, take a closer look at the olive trees which surround us here in Kalkan.  Perhaps you have an olive tree in your garden, if you do, cherish it, for it is a bringer of life.  Walk through any of the olive groves.  Study the trees - each one is unique.  Each has its own character and distinctive shape.  Every olive grove is a haven for wildlife.  Birds nest in the branches, butterflies and bees hover over the blossom, tiny cyclamen grow amidst the rocks in the shade of the tree canopy.

Value the olive tree before the olive groves disappear.  Local conservationists have estimated that in the past five years, we have lost over five thousand olive trees here.  Every gnarled trunk of this magnificent  ‘tree of life’ tells a story.  Listen to that story while you can.