SEED-VESSELS WE EAT 



made. If they are to be pickled ripe, or pressed 

 for oil, they are left until ripe, but not so long that 

 they turn black and soften. If picked too early, 

 the oil tastes bitter; if too late, it is rancid. So the 

 picking must be carefully timed. Then, it must 

 be done by hand, and the fruit cleaned of any 

 spoiled or shrivelled specimens. 



The -idea of eating fresh fruits off of the trees 

 will do in the case of oranges and grapefruit in 

 California, but olives, green or ripe, are bitter and 

 utterly distasteful in the natural state. 



To pickle green olives, the workers soak them 

 in weak lye to take out the bitter taste, then rinse 

 and soak in brine, with certain aromatic flavorings. 



The better method is to pickle the fruit ripe, but 

 this process is far more difficult. The same proc- 

 esses are necessary, but they take longer time, 

 and the softening and discoloration of the fruit 

 must be guarded against. The nutty flavor of 

 the ripe olive, and its oily content, make it one of 

 the most nutritious and agreeable of foods. The 

 green olive is an appetizer, and that is about all 

 one can claim for it. 



The extracting of oil from olives is simple. 

 Any one with a cider press can do it. In this way 

 families supply themselves with oil for salads and 

 for cooking, in various olive-growing communities. 



