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Off-season is the olive season in Greece, when every Greek lucky enough to own or have access to an olive tree starts shaking the branches. Athena obliges by letting her trees drop the oil-heavy fruit onto nets below.
Michael and Karin Shepherd operate the charming Aliki Pension on the Greek island of Paros. An entrepreneurial Greek neighbor decided to offer their guests the opportunity to press their own olive oil during the months of November and December, complete with personally labelled bottles, and international foodies are lining up for the late-autumn hands-on experience. It also solves gift-giving problems for the holidays - "And for you, a bottle of our own olive oil that we pressed at (ahem) our grove on the Greek island of Paros!"
Guests participate in gathering the olives, preparing them for pressing, and extracting the oil using traditional processes.
Once the pressing is done, Michael and Karin throw open the large central kitchen of their ten-room guesthouse and offer instructions on how to cook with the blissfully fresh olive oil. Guests can also enjoy excursions to the best of the local Paros tavernas and restaurants for an in-depth exploration of genuine Greek cooking.
If olive oil alone is not of sufficient interest, they also host special singles gatherings for both Christmas and New Year's Eve.
Room rates are extremely reasonable even in high season, maxing out at about Euro 45 for two during August. Off-season rates are as low as Euro 14 per couple; the olive oil pressing is extra, by arrangement. Paros generally enjoys very pleasant weather in November and December, though that definition also depends on the visitor - travelers from the UK and other parts north tend to love it, Californians may find it slightly chilly.
Contact Information:
Michael and Karin Shepherd
Email: paroshep@otenet.gr
Phone: +30-22840-91042
Mailing address: P. O. Box 41 Paros, Greece 84400
Website: Shepherd's Aliki Villa
Next page > Paros Olive Harvest Photo Gallery > Page 2
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