Harvesting Olives

So there I am shaving on Thanksgiving morning and Arik Ascherman's is speaking on NPR. It was NPR's Thanksgiving story about food, agricultural bounty and thanksgiving. Today's story centered on the place of the olive harvest in the culture of Palestinians; this is the season of the harvest which goes on from late October till mid-December.

Interviewees talked about the process of pressing olives for oil, the harvest meals that center on olives and the memory of olive trees that Palestinians carry with them even when they settle abroad. One of the best lines of the piece is offered by Arik talking about Palestinians and Israelis working together on the harvest, "We are offering the olive branch as a symbol of peace, once again." It's a lovely piece to listen to -- the background music is especially beautiful.