Sharp County record., 1891-08-06
OLIVES AND THEIR OIL
Where They Grow and How the OF q OBJ
tanned For Table Use.


tanned For Table Use.
The olive is an evergreen tree with
leaves resembling those of the willow
lanceolate, entire, Of dull, dark green
color above and scaly and whitish gray
underneath. The flowers, which ap-
pear in June, July and August, are
small and white, growing short, dense
racemes, with four cleft corola four
toothed calyx, two stamens and two
cleft stigma The fruit is a drt'pe, on
stone fruit, of a greenish, whitishr vio-
let or even black color never larger
than a pigeons egg, generally oval.
sometimes globular obovate or acums-
nate.
In southern France, where the famed
virgin oil of AK is made, the harvest Of
the berries for oil takes place in No
vember and December, when the ber-
ries are about two-thirds ripe. They
are spread out for a short time to dry
off any moisture from the surface, and
are then crushed in an edge wheel mill
of stone driven by animal power gen.
orally, care being taken not to crush
the stones, which contain a bitter
principle and q poor oil. The vir-
gin oil is dipped out Of the mill after
the fruit is reduced 20 q pulp and
is seldom sold in commerce separately,
bearing the highest price, but is used
either by the proprietors of estates or
for enriching the poorer sorts. After
removing the vigin oil the pulp is put
into straw baskets, which are then pnt
into a screw press and squeezed, and
the oil tricl1ling down is collected by
circular gutter and runs into tank.
This gives the best market oil, and it is
called premiere quality. The pomace
is subjected to repeated pressure, some
times aided at last by pouring warm
water on the mass, poorer quality Of
oil being obtained by each repetition of
the process. Even the epurest virgin oil
is turbid when first expressed. It clears
itself by simply standing in the tanks,
which on large estates are masonry
cisterns underground, where the oil is
kept at an even temperature for long
time, all air being excluded. The color
of the oil Of AK and Tuscany, which is
said to be the best is greenish. The
kind known as oil of Lucca is also of
superior quality. The mean produce of
a tree in France is about ten pounds of
oil, and in italy fifteen pounds, but
single trees have been known, in fruit
full seasons, to produce 300 pounds Of
oil,
Olive oil is adultsrated chiefly by the
addition of cotton seed oil, rape seed
oil, COLA seed oil, sesame seed oil
known as oil of benne or giiugiline oil,
and which is, in some rsspec cts, better
than olive oil-and above all, the oil of
-'le groundnut (American peanut,
hich is grown extensively on the
african coast expressly for its oil
Much of the "huile d'olive" that we get
put up in long-necked bottles with for
eign labels is put up in this country,
and consists of nothing but cotton seed
oil, oil of benne or groundnut oil.
While these oils are bland and whole
some, they do not possess the peculiar
nutty flavor of the 'sweet oil" of olives,
which is not to be mistaken.
The French initiate olive oil by
chemical preparation of American lard,
which is exported to the United States
under the name of "oil of Lucca," or
"Provence.
For the table the berries are gathered
when fully grown but still quite green.
They are stepped for tIventy-four hours
in weak lye of wood ashes or lime
water; then in cold watcr, renewed
daily, until they have lost th'ir bitter
flavor and the water runs off clsas and
tasteless. They are now saltea or
picked in brine, in which they are isept
for use In close vessels. For luxury TIE
stones are sometimes removed and the
fruit stuffed with capers, trufles
minced sardines and closed, air-tight
in bottles of the finest oil Olives ara
a well-Inown restorative of the palate
and are said to promote DIGESTION
po,Nulor Snianaa