After the harvest, I leave my trees to rest for a while, and in the middle of the winter, I start to prune them. I use a compressor-operated system to cut the branches. We had a lot of rain this winter, which is great for the trees! But it is taking me much longer to take care of the trees as I have to wait for the rain to stop to do all the jobs in the fields. The compressor is a very heavy tool, so I carry it on a trailer at the back of my quad.

Every year, I produce a limited quantity of early-harvest, unfiltered extra virgin olive oil from one of my olive groves. Fresh from the press, its colour is bright green and it is naturally cloudy because unfiltered. Its flavour is intense and remindful of freshly-cut grass. Its pungency is a sign of high quality. I named this exceptional olive oil after my father, as well as the Greek Orthodox Saint we celebrate on 8th November, the date around which I generally carry out t

Today, I have no fewer than 14 olive groves, scattered around my village, Kamilari. Some are closer to the Libyan Sea; others, to the Psiloritis mountain. Some are surrounded by lemon and orange groves; others by wild Cretan thyme, sage or origan. Each of my olive groves has its specificities, also including the composition of the soil. I gave each of my olive groves a name reflecting its particular features or qualities, and I started to make sign posts for each of them at t