Fall Farm Life at Redwood Hill Farm

There’s a particular kind of magic that settles over Redwood Hill Farm in the fall. Mornings arrive cool and golden, afternoons soften into a warm glow, and the entire property seems to exhale after the busy summer months. Life slows just enough to notice the small moments—and around here, autumn means one of our most cherished traditions: the olive harvest.
We harvested the week of Thanksgiving, which turned the work into a meaningful pre-holiday family gathering. Olive picking is both an art and a labor of love. Most of our olives are hand-harvested—gently raked and shaken from the branches, falling into wide nets spread across the grove floor. It’s slow, quiet work that leaves room for conversation, laughter, and storytelling.

With care, patience, and a beautiful growing season behind us, we gathered 847 pounds of olives.

While the harvest was underway, the rest of the farm was buzzing in its own small, sweet ways. Kaikoa could often be found wandering the property, plucking the last of the apples straight from the tree for a quick snack during his farm adventures. Colton embraced the season in the kitchen, turning those same apples into delicious homemade apple crisp that filled the house with the unmistakable scent of fall.

And as Thanksgiving approached, Rachel gathered olive branches from the trees and paired them with persimmons from the property to create a simple, beautiful table setting—one that reflected the land, the season, and the gratitude we feel this time of year.

Once picked, the olives are transported quickly to the mill. Timing is everything—pressing within hours preserves the oil’s freshness, flavor, and healthful qualities.

Our Capracopia extra virgin olive oil is a Tuscan blend of 5 olive varieties and is more than a product—it’s a reflection of Redwood Hill Farm itself. The cool coastal air, dry summer heat, rich soil, and careful stewardship all shape its character.

Each harvest brings its own expression. For the first 6-8 weeks it is Olio Nuovo, which has a very special character when it is very young. The color is intensely green and the aroma and taste are like fresh olives. Green, young olives (with high polyphenol antioxidant content) produce oil with greater longevity – and greater health benefits. 

and this year’s oil is especially fragrant and bold, with a bright finish that shines when drizzled over fresh goat cheese, dipped with fresh bread, or in your favorite salad dressing recipe.

If you’d like to bring a taste of Redwood Hill Farm into your own kitchen, our freshly pressed Capracopia olive oil is available for purchase online—making it a thoughtful, farm-crafted gift. You can also find it in person during our Spring Farm Tours, where visitors can shop and experience the grove firsthand.

Fall at Redwood Hill Farm is about more than the harvest itself. It’s about family, tradition, and savoring the season in all its forms—working side by side in the grove, sharing meals made from the land, and gathering around a table that tells the story of the year.