The good oil: how Melburnians can turn their backyard olives into liquid gold
Richard Cornish
Photo: Richard Cornish
As part of a community-building exercise in May, not-for-profit organisation 3000Acres is offering Melburnians the chance to turn their backyard olive harvest into extra virgin oil. There are thousands of olive trees across Melbourne, says Merrin Layden, project manager for 3000Acres Olives to Oil Harvest Festival, held across the weekend of May 29. There are old, gnarled trees in people s front yards, planted by immigrants from the Mediterranean. There are trees planted for privacy that are now producing fruit. There are olive trees planted for pickling, trees in public parks, and growing wild along the waterways.