I PICKLING AND CANNING OLIVES ^-Q 



otton wool. This is accomplished by means of a funnel with a 

 erforated, horizontal cross partition, upon which the cotton is 

 placed. It takes, generally, about one month for the oil to settle 

 sufficiently in the first tank, after which it should be drawn off 

 carefully into the second, and so on until it is sufficiently bright. 

 Three rackings are usually sufficient. 



Olives are sometimes ground and pressed in portable cider mills 

 or ground in barley crushers for oil manufacture on a small scale. 

 As the above description shows, oil making is a simple process, 

 and may be carried on at home with rude devices. It is, however, 

 a process requiring care and cleanliness, and intelligent personal 

 attention. 



PICKLING THE OLIVE 



Olives are pickled in a green state, as is the case with the 

 imported olives; or in a ripe state, as largely undertaken in Cal- 

 ifornia. No one had any conception at first of the difficulties 

 attending the production of pickled ripe olives which would have the 

 keeping quality demanded in an article of commerce. It is now 

 clearly seen that treating olives to extract the bitterness and to 

 secure firmness, good flavor and keeping quality is one of the most 

 difficult propositions in our horticultural manufacturing, and we 

 can but admire the wisdom of the Spaniard in teaching Anglo- 

 Saxons to enjoy green olives. To succeed with the ripe olive 

 requires the utmost patience, experience, and intelligence, and 

 one who undertakes it must not get weary of the most exhaustive 

 study of difficulties that may arise and how to meet them. When 

 the most careful picklers with the best appliances sometimes lose 

 hundreds of dollars worth in spite of all they know about it, the 

 difficulty of the matter may be appreciated. 



The following is an outline of the pickling of ripe olives as 

 drawn from the University publications : 



The Lye Process. The vats or other receptacles used for pickling should 

 be perfectly clean, odorless, and tastless. Earthenware is the best material, 

 but it is cheaper to use wooden receptacles thoroughly treated with boiling 

 water and soda until they are sterilized and all taste of the wood removed. 

 Metal receptacles must not be used. The vats should have a plug below to 

 draw off the liquids and should be covered to exclude air. They should be 

 shallow, so that the layer of olives should not be much over a foot in thickness. 



1. Place the olives in a solution, composed of two ounces of potash lye 

 to each gallon of very pure water, for four hours. Repeat this once, or twice 

 if necessary, to sufficiently remove the bitterness. If the olives are soft at first, 

 or if they are of a kind that softens rapidly in the lye, use brine from the 

 beginning, adding two ounces of lye and four ounces of salt to each gallon 

 of water. As the lye acts much more slowly when used in combination with 

 salt, it may be allowed to stay on the olives for a longer time without injury, 

 eight to twelve hours or even more. 



2. Rinse the olives thoroughly and replace the lye solution with fresh 

 water. Change the water twice a day, until the lye has been removed from 

 the olive, as judged by the taste. Use weak brine if the olives are too soft, 

 changing once in two days. 



