OLIVE 



Pickling Olives is a simple matter in theory, but even 

 more judgment is needed than in the oil-extracting pro- 

 cess. The "bitter" is withdrawn by the use of lye, or 

 else by long and daily immersions in fresh water. There 

 is an increasing demand for Califoniian ripe pickled 

 Olives, the crop invariably beins; - M i" r. '. r. a.ly for 

 delivery. In quality and flavor tl 1^ supe- 

 rior to the best imported green i' 1' "-i dis- 

 couraging feature connected wnh mu ,.. i in;; of 



Olive oil is the fact that the impoii.-.l ..li., arc- marly all 

 adulterated more or less either at lureigu ports or in the 

 United States, some showing 80 or 90 per cent of cotton- 

 seed. Until some national law is passed by which cot- 

 tonseed oil shall be labeled and sold as such and not 

 under names designed merely to deceive, such as "Pure 

 Lucca Oil," "Pure California Oil," "Sweet Olive Oil," 

 etc., the prospects for the California Olive-grower will 

 not brighten as far as the production of oil is concerned. 

 Given such a law, California can and will produce all 

 the Olive oil that is needed in the United States. 



See report on the Condition of Olive Culture in Cali- 

 fornia by A. P. Hayne, Bull. 129 of Calif. Exp. Sta., 

 issued May, 1900. Leonard Coates. 



Olive Products. — Olives are almost entirely used for 

 making oil and pickles; some varieties are prepared by 

 simple drying, but the quantity so used in the U. S. is 

 very small and need hardly be considered a market prod- 

 uct as yet. The general use of Olive oil in this coun- 

 try has been somewhat retarded by the introduction 

 and sale of refined (clarified) cottonseed oil under vari- 

 ous names and brands as substitutes for the more ex- 

 pensive genuine oil. In some cases Olive oil is adul- 

 terated, to a greater or less degree, with the cheaper 

 cottonseed oil, and sold as "pure Olive oil." This state 

 of affairs is owing almost entirely to the fact that the 

 general American public does not, as yet, appreciate the 

 delicate flavor of a properly prepared pure Olive oil. At 

 present the market demands that an oil must be clear 

 and brilliant, without reference to its quality or flavor, 

 and consequently evefi pure Olive oil is "clarified" and 

 filtered until it loses its delicate and characteristic 

 aroma. It is then no better than the cheaper cotton- 

 seed product with which it has to compete. But grad- 

 ually the differences are being appreciated, and the de- 

 mand for the true article is slowly but surely increasing. 



Pickled ripe Olives have steadily grown in favor, and 

 the more their value as a food material is appreciated 

 the greater will be the demand for a properly prcparpd 

 product. As yet little or no pickled green Olives an' 

 prepared in California. These do not serve as f i"il. 

 however, as do the ripe Olives, but merely as a nlisli. 

 and inii-^t I..- .■..T\^i.l..rfd as a delicacy rather than as a 

 stapl'' :mi; !. ..I .li. I; lieuce their preparation can only 

 be nil I r special conditions, each manufac- 



turer 1 ' ■ 'I ['articular process or recipe. 



Tl ii '>£ Olive oil, though apparently a 



simplr ]■:■'■■■••". I ■ .jMirfs the most painstaking care, and 

 thei'l"si-i :iiic rithiii to every detail, for the production 

 of hiu'li .MaM.' ■,][. I'o begin, the fruit must be carefully 

 picki'il l.v haii.l, a", .iliii;; all unsound drupes, and han- 

 dled as little- as !■ . -M.- \u ..nirr to avid l.niishi-. In 

 some of the ol' I ' l',';-' rli.' fmiTs ari' ilri.j'pi'l 



into pails half 1! ■ ■! . i , ilms rciii.iiiL' t.. a Tnini 



mum the ilani- - •■ ■ :_•. Tliis i, s|„.riall\ im- 



crush immc<]i ' '.,' > i mmi alna\s |M,,-ilil.s 



Then the Olu- , . • l ■ <!, an, I .\..y.:l .i, la-,, r'- n.il 



over three inrlir, n, n.pili. v.tlU a (r inmlalion ot 



air between the layers, in order to prevent molding 

 or fermenting. In no case must unsound fruit be 

 used, as even a few slightly moldv or fermented ber- 

 ries will impart a disagr.-eabl,- odor and flavor to the 

 entire product. Wln-n on\i - hi-i }>,-vn frosted they 

 must be picki-.l anri -;,- ! siaLly; a delay of 



twenty-four bonis will i i : lii for use. The 



proper stage ot ri|H la .- i, ,,i, i ni.i lant factor. The 



mistake, as the quality of the oil is tliereby deteriorated. 

 Just after changing color has been found to be the 

 proper stage for picking, for then the maximum oil-con- 

 tent and keeping qualities of the oil have been reached. 



OLIVE 



Various devices ha\e been used foi i 

 it was the practice to crush fruit m 

 tween heavy millstones ; but it has 

 oil from the kernels not only imp n 

 flavor to the flesh oil, but also im]! ii 

 ties At present cnish. rs nu n 1 

 far enough ap.iit t i\ i 1 1 i 1 in 

 crusheib are som. iini nil I ni i 



In Eiirope the 



■~^^ 



V|)rv 



1522. California Olives, showing one method of pruning 



crushed pulp is pressed m special mats made of esparto 

 grass, holding about twi ntv five pounds each , but in 

 California these m it li t ii t< und to be too e\pen 

 sive, and linen oi i i . n successfully used 



instead. The li< i i is a screw press, so 



arranged that tin [ i \ gradual, and pro- 



vided with a pill 'I I ' t (wood would not 



do on account ot 1 1 i . ommg rancid ) , and 



all exposed cast n led with tin. The 



steel basket IS fall I l \ is of about twenty 



five pounds each ■ II i i n surrounded by cloth, 

 and as much direi t s, u « pi< ssure as possible applied 

 \ery gradually After all the juice has run out, the 

 resulting cakes of pulp aie taken out, mixed with pure, 

 cool watei, and again pressed, this time as much as 

 pussilile with the screw lever. This operation may be 

 r.-iMat.-.l a third and even a fourth time, the resulting 

 nil hiiiig each time of inferior quality. In California, as 

 a ruin, but two pressings are made, forming first- and 

 stcoiid-grade oil; in some cases the oils from the two 

 pressings are mixed, and but one grade marketed. The 

 oil can be recovered from the juice by simply allowing 

 it to rise and accumulate on the surface, as it will nat- 

 urally, being lighter than the watery juice. But this 

 process is both slow and dangerous, because fermenta- 

 tion is liable to start in the juice, and greatly impair 

 the quality of the oil. It thus becomes important to 

 separate the oil as quickly as possible from the acrid 

 jiiian. Several means have been devised for accom- 

 |ilisl,in- this. The most satisfactory (of Italian invcn- 

 iiniii. and one which has been tried at the Calitorniii 

 i;xii. ihnent Station, is the washing out of the impurities 

 hy muaus of pure water. The apparatus consists of a 

 tin tank about 4 feet high and 2 feet in diameter, pro- 

 vided with a perforated false bottom, below which a 

 running stream of pure, cool water is admitted. Just 

 above this false bottom a small stream of juice is run 

 in. The water thus washes through the juice, the oil 

 rising at once to the surface, passes through the long 

 4-foot column of water, and is thus freed from most of 

 the vegetable matter, which falls to the bottom, where 

 it is drawn off through an outlet provided for that pur- 

 pose. The oil as it comes from this "separator," or the 

 hand-skimmings from the surface of the juice, has still 

 fine particles of pulp mixed with it, which impart a 

 "prickly" taste, and it must be allowed to stand in a 

 cool (about 50° F. ) room until these impurities settle. 

 It is then "racked " off, and can be sold as "new oil;" or 

 again allowed to stand for further precipitation and 

 racking until no more dregs are visible. This will give 



