The daily morning journal and courier., 1901-11-02
HOW OLIVES ARE CURED.
A Difficult Process, Requiring Many
 Weeks.

A Difficult Process, Requiring Many
 Weeks.
 Tt should be remembered" said the | olive man, that the constitution of ar
 olive is as deliate as that of a tender
 child. From the time the crop is gath cred until it is finally packed in the bot | ties, there is not moment which is l not fraught with the intensest anxiety
 on the part of all who handle the fruit.
 No other product requires such con stant application of the old maxim of
 eternal vigilance as olives.
 "The ball begins with the gathering
 of the fruit. This is done in the late summer or early autumn, while the fruit is still green and hard, and alto gether unsavory on account of it's in- tense bitterness. The olives are picked
 by hand to prevent scratching and bruising, and then conveyed in carts or on pack mules to the curing establish ment. Olive curing is a very delicate and intricate process, for which no fix ed rules can be laid down. A course of treatment that in one instance would prove successful might be absolutely ruinous in another. The business of curing, therefore, calls for expert tal- ent, and Is always intrusted to a pro- fessional who brings to his task his own skill and knowledge, supplemented by the experience of generations of kinsfolk who were curers in that par ticular variety before him.
 The first step in the process of cur ing is known as cooking When the fruit comes to the curing establishment it is placed in large vats filled with a. mixture of lime and water, in which it undergoes a kind of fermentation. Cooking is merely technical name for this Fermentation process.
 When the fermentation has reached a certain stage-a matter requiring anywhere from few hours to a few days-the curer gives the signal to withdraw the plugs, and the liquid is run off. The olives are then thor oughly washed with fresh water until they are bright and clean and every trace of lime is removed. If you were to taste them now you would find that they had lost most of their unpleasant bitterness.
 After washing, the fruit is put in casks filled with brine, and the casks exposed, bungs open, to the sun. This induces a second Fermentation which takes place more or less rapidly, ac- cording to the weather. However. as Spain enjoys fairly equable climate. a period of from three to four weeks generally suffices. Throughout this second fermentation the olives keep throwing off the brine so that the ca asks must be inspected daily and kept filled with new brine of the required strength.
 Finally there comes a time when they no longer throw off any brine. They are then ready for sorting-that is, for separation according to size and quality. All that are perfect---of prop CT color and free from scratches, spots and other blemishes-are called select ad'; the rest 'culls.' The various sizes are known according to their weight, s0-90 meaning olives that count eighty to ninety to the kilo.
 After sorting the olives are then put back into the casks, the hungs driven In, and the whole is ready for 1 shipment to the American importer"
 Do you begin to pack as soon as they { arrive in New York;" was the next | eading question.
 NO, indeed! The long ocean voyage | affects olives as much as it does human | beings. They generally succumb to seasickness' en route-that is, we find ,hem in some stage of fermentation on | lrrival which requires our constant are until they recover''
 Doesn't this 'seasickness,' as you call t, impair the quality in any way?"
 Not at all. It only makes the olive nan feel the burden of his responsibili- ies. In every stage of fermentation here is critical moment when he must exercise the greatest care and [, aution. If the olives recover they are |. eally much improved in quality. If hey don't they are hopelessly ruined. Il There is no intermediate condition."- The Arco Special.