Olive Trees

[staestc]

Re: Olive Trees

Thanks for posting those Sakoman! And oh man, they do look tasty already! Do you ever augment the brine with herbs and such? Really curious about this whole process, and bound to get into it pretty soon (oh no, another hobbie!!! )

Travis

[sakoman]

Re: Olive Trees

And oh man, they do look tasty already!

They are not at all tasty at this point in the process! Some of the most vile, bitter things you have ever put in your mouth

Ah, but in a few weeks . . .

Do you ever augment the brine with herbs and such?

No, I haven't done that. I'm from the school of thought that says you add those fresh, as desired, when ready to eat them.

[james]

Re: Olive Trees

We picked our trees today. Lot's of fun on a foggy day at the coast. We have a nice mix of green and black. Like Sakoman, we are using the brine method and have weeks of stirring and waiting ahead of us.

I found a new use for my dough trays. You are support to weigh the olives down so they stay submerged in the brine, and it just worked with with two layers of trays and a third with water as a weight.

Sakoman, did you have a lot of bugs and worms?

James

[sakoman]

Re: Olive Trees

Sakoman, did you have a lot of bugs and worms?

No, didn't notice any at all when I was cutting the slash in each olive.

Sounds like you might have olive fruit fly - you can learn more about controlling it from the following UC Davis publication:

http://ucce.ucdavis.edu/files/fileli...2161/28457.pdf

You can buy olive fly traps in small quantities at:

The Olive Press

My curing progress post from last week seems to have disappeared, so I've attached photos below of the olives at the start of the process, after one week, and then after two weeks.

The olives are still losing color to the brine at this phase. I start tasting them at week two to begin calibrating my taste buds. They are still quite vile, but definitely less bitter than at the start.

I change the brine weekly (1 part salt, 9 parts water).

From this point the olives will start to darken from oxidation (you can see this happening at the cuts), eventually reaching the brownish-purple you see in my previous photo of the finished product.

[james]

Re: Olive Trees

Sounds like you might have olive fruit fly - you can learn more about controlling it from the following UC Davis publication:

http://ucce.ucdavis.edu/files/fileli...2161/28457.pdf

You can buy olive fly traps in small quantities at:

The Olive Press

Thanks for the lead. I will look into that for next season.
James

[gjbingham]

Re: Olive Trees

I bought an olive tree at a farmer's market a couple of months ago. From my readings in the Sunset Western Garden Book, the only type that will grow in the NW is an ornamental variety. I assume that is what I bought. They are described as producing a fruit that is messy and inedible. Regardless, my daughter loves pulling the olives off the two-year-old tree, and if it grows in a similar fashion as those multi-hundred year-old versions in Sicily, then I will be content.
I will continue to purchase my Italian processed - Tunisian, Spanish,.....Mediteranean olive oil and clean up after my ornamental's mess.

[RTflorida]

Re: Olive Trees

I've been tempted to buy an olive tree myself. After a little research I have found there are a few cultivars that will grow in a hot/humid FL environment. There are several growers here in FL, but I have been told there are no guarantees that I will get fruit each year.....seems they need a certain number of days each winter where the temp gets in the 30s - we get those temps, just not consistant.
Edible or not...being an olive/olive oil junky, it would be very cool to have a tree that bares some sort of fruit...think I will at least look into the cost of a tree mature enough to bare fruit; if it isn't in the hundreds of $$$, what the heck, at least I tried. Even without fruit the mature trees look pretty cool.

RT

[nissanneill]

Re: Olive Trees

Thanks guys, I will think of you every time I pull up a feral olive tree sewn by the birds.
They are deemed noxious weeds over here, especially around the Adelaide Hills face zone, spread by birds and a fire hazard, as there are that many.
We also have a problem with people stealing the fruit from olive orchards and also trees in parklands, on the sides of roads and also in peoples properties.
Many sign up saying "Poison sprayed, DO NOT USE OLIVES"
I'm almost tempted to put on the bottom of the sign, "If you haven't sprayed, then I have"!

Neill

[sakoman]

Re: Olive Trees

I bought an olive tree at a farmer's market a couple of months ago. From my readings in the Sunset Western Garden Book, the only type that will grow in the NW is an ornamental variety. I assume that is what I bought. They are described as producing a fruit that is messy and inedible.

I'm not aware of any varieties of olive that are inedible (though without processing they are all pretty much inedible!)

Usually non-fruiting varieties are the ones called "ornamental". So it may be that you have a regular fruiting variety that happens to like the NW!

I guess you'll see the first time the temp dips below 15F

Steve

[carioca]

Re: Olive Trees

Hi all!

Bought a tray of Kalamatta at a Newcastle greengrocer in April last year and pickled them in brine - finished eating the last of them a month or so ago.

The experience led me to plant three different olive trees around my forno (mostly small $A14.95 plants from Aldi) and one of them was in full bloom and is now heavily laden with mostly tiny olives, Some are bigger than the others...

We are in bushland at the coast at 32 deg southern latitude but occasionally have coolish winters, so many "tropical" apples do fruit, as does a Williams pear (regularly). We just had some excellent peaches (Florda Gold and Florda King) and are harvesting fantastic amounts of plums (forget the two varieties we have). Those two trees had to have their branches supported to carry thr loads!

But I am really looking forward to the olives - and yes, NissanNeil, we will make sure they don't have seeds left to sprout...

Cheers,

LMH

[texassourdough]

Re: Olive Trees

I have three Mission Olives in north San Antonio and they are doing quite well. They have been in for six years and sadly have yet to fruit for I have been hard on them. They are looking robust though and I expect them to fruit soon. I got my trees from Bella Vista near Wimberly and they seem to be just at the northern edge of viability in Texas. Further north the trees will do okay for several years and then a blue norther will get them.

For those in Texas Bella Vista and Sandy's have good trees.

Good Luck!
Jay

[MAVANO]

Re: Olive Trees

Hey, that's what my parents used to do with olives in Italy, a brine of water and salt but they do not slice them I guess that helps in the curing time, because we do not slice them it takes about 6 months before they are ready to eat I don't think the water is changed at all,1 teaspoon of salt in a standard mason jar full of water and a bay leaf close it tight and store it in a cool place for the time of 6 months or more.Last Christmas I had olives from the year prior,and my in laws make olives that are cured with lye which are my favorite they are olive sweet and an oil aftertaste, now those are washed many times after the initial lye curing then they are bathed in a bay leaf and salt bath. I suppose I better have them write down the recipe for keep sake. love to have olive trees but this area of IL, West Chicago about 60 miles from downtown Chicago is not favorable temp, so we purchase the Cal. olives at a grocer called Caputo's but they don't carry the flour totally diff. establishments.

[james]

Re: Olive Trees

Ciao Mavano,

I have a friend who uses lye and says that it works well. I'm going to try that next year. He has quite a few trees and as they mature he is going to start producing small quantities of table olives for the retail market. He's just trying to refine his processes at this point.

We are doing a lot of landscaping and we're up to 8 Manzanilla trees -- and I think we have room for 1 more. Three of them are around our outdoor kitchen. I should take a photo.

Here's to the 2009 harvest 10 months from now.
James

[MAVANO]

Re: Olive Trees

Ciao James, yes a must try on the lye cure do you have a procedure on how to? I wished I had a contact in Cal. to purchase some olives any suggestions? how is the 08 wine vintage,do you make wine? I made a good amount of red Zinfantel in 07 turned out fantastic, still enjoying it,well I cant wait for the snow to melt so I can put the finishing touches on the oven,,, Ciao don't take too much sun out there. Phil.

[texassourdough]

Re: Olive Trees

While curing olives is not particularly difficult it is important to note that they are notorious for developing botulism. My friend at Bella Vista grows olives and sells olive oil but cures only for personal consumption simply says the liability is too great. Other readings tend to reinforce the need to be careful in curing olives...
Jay