The olive grove of Tvrdoš Monastery will number around 2,000 olive trees in the spring, as plans are in place to plant an additional 300 trees on monastery land. Alongside preparations for planting, the foundations for an olive oil mill building have already been laid.
“At the moment, we have around 1,700 trees, starting with Greek varieties once planted by the late Bishop Atanasije, followed by Italian ones and various other types. From these, we already produce serious quantities of extra virgin olive oil,” says Hieromonk Porfirije, a monk of Tvrdoš Monastery.
He explains that the land must first be prepared and cultivated, after which around 300 new seedlings will be acquired within a month. On this sacred land, he notes, olive trees generally take root well and produce good yields.
In addition to several old olive trees planted around the monastery a quarter of a century ago, Bishop Atanasije received about fifteen seedlings from the Greek monastery of Ormylia. After that, more serious planting began, following the example of viticulture.
“It was the same with wine — from a handful of monastery grapevines, we planted new vines, built a winery, and today we have serious production. Olive growing is following the same path. From about 500 trees, a little over 15 years ago, we produced our first 50 liters of cold-pressed oil, but already the following year, when the olives began to bear fruit, that amount started to double,” Father Porfirije told Nezavisne novine.
Until now, the oil has been pressed at neighboring mills, but construction of a facility for their own olive oil mill has already begun, which will allow the entire production process to be completed within the monastery complex itself, similar to the winery.
Father Porfirije does not wish to speak in detail about this undertaking, as everything is still in its initial phase, but during his visit to Tvrdoš, the Minister of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations in the Council of Ministers, Staša Košarac, confirmed that discussions were held on ways to support the construction of the olive oil mill.
The monks of Tvrdoš Monastery approach everything they do with dedication and great patience, and, as Father Porfirije says, this project too will be completed according to God’s providence.
“Everything comes in its own time, and recently, as confirmation of patient work, we won a gold medal for extra virgin olive oil at an international competition in New York,” says Father Porfirije.
Without wishing to appear immodest, he adds that the monastery does not think about future awards, as their greatest reward is to continue producing equally fine olive oils and wines.
Source: See Srpske
