The olive tree, Olea europaea, is an evergreen tree native to the Mediterranean region, Asia, and Africa. It produces fruit (drupe) of the same name that forms from small, white flowers. The olive fruit range in colors from green to purple to black, depending on degree of ripeness. Fully black olives will be fully ripe. Some canned olive manufacturers introduce a chemical, ferrous sulfate, to artificially turn olives a black color. Check the label ingredients if you are curious if your brand of olives is artificially colored. Olive trees, olive oil, and olives (fruit) are used for many things including food use, soaps, medicines, furniture, and fuel.
Notable Varieties
Manzanillo
- Medium sized oval shaped fruit. Very sensitive to extreme cold temperatures. Flesh to pit ratio is 8:2:1. Native to Spain.
Mission
- Large fruit, self-fertile tree. Lowest flesh to pit ratio of 6:5:1. Native to United States.
Sevillano
- Large fruit, with a flesh to pit ratio of 7:3:1. With its relatively large size, this olive makes a great stuffing olive. Native to Spain.
Nocellara del Belice (Castelvetrano)
- This is a green olive that has a rich flavor, and high flesh to pit ratio of 8:1. The Nocellara del Belice olive has a PDO (Protected Designation of Origin) status. Native to Italy.
Kalamata
- Distintive shape with a flesh to pit ratio of 8:1. The Kalamata is a Greek black olive that has a PDO (Protected Designation of Origin) status, meaning only olives that have originated from the Kalamata region, located in the Peloponnese area of Greece. Native to Greece.
Cultivation
The olive tree is a long-living, drought-resistant tree that produces a very hard wood with a unique grain. There are olive trees still living that are reported to be over 2,000 years old, and ancient olive trees will continue to produce fruit if cared for. All olive tree varieties enjoy hot weather, and are sensitive to the cold. Damage begins to occur if temperatures fall below the 20s.
Olives are harvested fall through winter, depending on cultivar, and can be harvested green (full size but unripened) all the way to black for fully ripened, and any shade of color in between.
Havesting
Choosing olives for oil or eating will change how they are harvested because the ones that will be used for eating must be bruise-free and undamaged. Olives must be cured or fermented before eating to remove the oleuropein inside of them which gives the olive fruit a very bitter taste. Curing methods include: oil curing, water curing, brine curing, dry curing, and lye curing.
Resources
"Olive Tree Varieties." Olive Tree Growers. Olive Tree Growers, n.d. Web. 21 Apr. 2014.
Olive Variety Guide. n.d. [PDF File] Yamagami's Nursery. Yamagamisnursery.com.
"Olive." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 21 Apr. 2014. Web. 21 Apr. 2014.
"The World's 10 Oldest Living Trees: Olive Tree of Vouves." MNN. Mother Nature Network, n.d. Web. 21 Apr. 2014.
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