The other day I was looking out my window and noticed the olive blossom on the trees around us. I thought maybe I’d write a little bit about the Olive trees and clarify some misconception out there.
The Olive tree also known under its botanical name as Olea Europaea is a small tree found in the Mediterranean basin and in some countries of Southern and Latin America. Depending on the region it’s grown in, the olive tree blossoms small feathery white flowers that take around 4-5 months to transform into fruits. Each type of olive uses a different medium to pollinate; bees, wind, cross or self-pollinating; some bear fruit while others are naturally unfruitful.
Typically, the olives you buy on the market either green or black come from the same variety. The colour is a question of ripeness. Blonds are cultivated in autumn while Black olives wait till winter. Harvesting is preferably manually done for table olives but when access of machinery is available, growers use the trunk-shaking method. The latter method yields a higher percentage of bruised fruits hence the need to press them into oil.
Bruised or not, green or black, olives are a taste of heavens under any shape or form.
In another post, we talked about the difference between virgin and extra virgin olive oils.
Next post we’ll discuss the benefits of olive. Drop us a line at www.LeJoyaudOlive.com
Georgy