Olive Season in Beit Reema
Beit Reema has the largest oil production in Ramallah's Area.
Its land is a truly cultivated olive oriented land.
Trees range from newly plant up to Roman olive (planted during the Roman Era in Palestine).
This period is almost a ritual unites man and land.
EveryBody is involved Parents ,their children and even their animals.
Jall
Before October 15 (Olive Picking season official starts on October 15 every year) people start collecting the olives that fall from trees . This process is called "Jall" wandering because they cover a lot of ground in a short period. The Jall is usually collected over a two week period.Then farmers take it to be pressed. Usually the Jul is processed the old fashioned way. The way the early civilizations used.
Al-Bad
Olives are put in basin of stone and a big wheel presses the olives as it turns in the basin. This big wheeler is pushed by hand or by an animal.
Then the pressed olives are taken him where hot water is ready.Little by little the pressed olives are put into hot water.Since oil is lighter than water it floats .Using a plate the olive is extracted from the top. There ,You have "Zeit Ikhraj" or virgin olive oil.
Jdad
The jadad "Hitter" (the man whole collect the olives from the trees) usually starts earlier than the Lakotah "Picker" (the woman how collects the olives from the ground) to have a head start.There are two methods of picking olives from the trees.Using sticks and hitting the tree with it so the olives fall on the ground -This method is used for big trees where it is very hard to use the second method which is using the hands. the picture shows the second method.
Ilkat
Picking the olives from the ground is called Ilkat "Picking" Usually the ground is covered with plastic sheets or cloth (Mafrash = "bedding")so the falling olives will land on it and will be easy to pick with the hands (Top picture on the left)
The picked olives usually put in a sack and transported home by an loading it on an animal back(Donkeys ,mules and horses) or in a car since must of the farm land is now accessible through agricultural roads.
The picked olive is stored at home in a room for almost one to two weeks then it is pressing time .
Dras
Dras is "pressing" it is an automated process where the new machinery separates the olive oil from the fibers and the pits(Jeft). Farmers pay by olive oil (a percentage of the produced olive oil).The measures used are (Jarah "Jar" 20kg.; Nosiyah "half" = 10kg, rubi "quarter" = 5kg).
*Ibaiah: A log stick used to hit the tree so the olive beans will fall on the ground.
*Tawalah: same as Ibaiah but longer
*Sharout: It is the longest of the above.
*Onah "Cooperation": Group of relatives and friends work somebody's field .
*Syafah:after farmers finish picking olives from their fields ,Kids go look for left over of olive.Kids usually sell this for money.