1456 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF PRACTICAL HORTICULTURE 



article of dessert, to enhance the flavor 

 of wine and to renew the sensitive- 

 ness of the palate for other viands. For 

 this purpose the fruit is picked while 

 green, soaked for a few hours in an al- 

 kaline fluid or lye, washed well in clean 

 water and then placed in bottles or jars 

 filled with brine. Sometimes spices are 

 used to increase the bitter flavor. 



In California many orchardists pickle 

 ripe olives and claim for them superior 

 quality and taste to that of the green 

 olive. They also claim that the demand 

 is greater than the supply. Ripe olives 

 for pickling are generally purchased by 

 packers before picking at prices ranging 

 from $100 to $125 per ton. At the pack- 

 ing house they are graded according to 

 size in three classes, viz., extra large 

 or fancy, large, and medium. 



W. W. Hinsey describes the process of 

 pickling ripe olives as follows: 



First, treatment to extract the bitter- 

 ness; second, soaking in water to elim- 

 inate the lye; and third, gradually salted 

 to suit taste. 



To extract the bitterness, the olives 

 are soaked in a vat containing a solution 

 of water and caustic potash. If the olives 

 are very bitter they are put through a 

 second soaking with fresh lye. A float- 

 ing cover is used to keep the olives sub- 

 merged in the solution and the lye is 

 frequently drawn from the bottom and 

 poured over the top to insure equal dis- 

 tribution. 



When the color of the olives indicates 

 that the lye has penetrated to the pits, 

 it is immediately drawn off and fresh 

 water used to remove the lye. They re- 

 main in this vat, the water being fre- 

 quently changed, until the lye has been 

 thoroughly eliminated. 



After the lye and bitterness have been 

 extracted the olives are gradually salted 

 to taste and prepared for use. Special 

 care is always used to keep the olives 

 from hardening or shrinking and the 

 soaking in lye and salt has to be done 

 gradually and painstakingly. 



The olive is now ready for packing. 

 Some packers put up a natural or or- 



Fig. 2. Olive Grove in Sacramento County, California. 



— Natomas News 



