76 STATE BOARD OF HORTICULTURE. 



tion. Olives pickled by any process, although ripe, are taken 

 from the brine and covered with pure olive oil. They may be 

 eaten immediately, but improve in flavor if allowed to stand 

 over night. For this purpose the slit olives are most preferred. 



Other Recipes. There are many other recipes in vogue 

 for pickling olives. The following are used by some of the 

 leading growers: 



By Ellwood Cooper, of Santa Barbara. For ripe olive pickles, 

 gather the fruit when of purple color. They must be picked 

 and handled with great care, being dropped into water to avoid 

 bruising. In pickling, we handle the fruit in water, and aim 

 when changing the water to get the olives which are at the 

 bottom one day on top the next, changing the water every 

 day. By this careful method none will turn out defective. 

 After changing the water every day for thirty or forty days, 

 according to ripeness, make a mild brine of best Liverpool salt, 

 about half as strong as would bear an egg, and leave the fruit 

 in the brine for two or three days. Remove from 'the brine 

 and wash in cold water, taking care as before not to bruise the 

 fruit. Then make a brine to bear an egg, boil it, and pour over 

 the fruit when cold. 



By Frank A. Kimball, of National City. The olives are 

 carefully picked and must be handled without bruising. A 

 good stage of maturity is when the fruit is quite red and before 

 it has turned purple. When picked the fruit must be immedi- 

 ately covered with a solution of concentrated lye, in the propor- 

 tion of two ounces of lye to each gallon of olives, and every olive 

 must be entirely covered by the lye solution. A portion of the 

 solution should be frequently drawn off and poured on top to 

 keep it of equal strength. After twelve hours examine and 

 see how far the lye has penetrated. When it has nearly 

 reached the pit (which is easily shown by breaking open some 

 of the fruit) draw off the lye and replace with soft, clear 

 W 7 ater, which should be changed once or twice a day until no 

 trace of lye is left in the fruit. This is best determined by 

 testing with litmus paper. After this add salt to taste, provided 

 the olives are to be used immediately; but if they are to be 

 kept for future use the brine must be made of the same strength 

 as for preserving meat, and when required for use may be 



