Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1902-01-23
tiOW OLIVES ARE CURED.
Diiicult Process, Requiring Time
aud Constant Cnre

aAAo NuEe.
1T should be remembered" said the
olive man. that the constitution Of an
olive is as dcl.,. - as that of tender
child. From tie time the crop Is gr.'
cred until ii is finally packed IN .ae
bottles there is not a moment whic. IL
not fraught with the intensest anxiety
on the part of all who handle the fruit.
No other product requires such con-
slant application Of the old maxim Of
eternal vigilance as olives.
The bail begins with the gathering
OF the fruit. This is done In the late
summer or carly autumn, while the
fruit is still green and hard and alto
gether uEsaVory on account of its 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 very delicate
and Intricate process. for which no
fixed rules can be laid down. A course
of treatment that in one instance
would prove successful might be abso-
lutely ruinous in another The business
of curing therefore calls for expert tai
ent and Is always intrusted to a pro-
fessional who brings to his task his
own skill and knowledge, supplement-
ed by the experience of generations of
EiEsfoik who were curers in that par
ticular variety before him.
'"Fhe first step in the process OF cur
ing is known as cooking When the
.clit comes to the curing establish
ment it is placed in large watts filed
with mixture of lime and water. in
which 1t undergoes kind of fermen-
tation. Cooking is merely q technical
name for this fermentation process.
When the fermentation has reached
certain stage, matter requiring any
where from few hours to few days,
the curer gives the signal to withdraw
the plugs, and the liquid is run Off The
olives are then thoroughly washed
with fresh water until they are bright
and clean and every trace OF lime is re-
moved. 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 filed with brine and the casks
NAPOsSus Optu, " Tic suu Ills
induces second fermentation. which
takes place more or less rapidly. ac-
cording to the weather. However. as
Spain enjoys fairly equable climate.
period of from three to four weeks gen.
orally suffices. Throughout this second
fermentation the olives keep throwing
off the brine, so that the casks must be
Inspected daily and kept filled with
new brine Of the required strength.
"Finally there comes 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 pcrfect-of proper
color and free from scratches, spots
and other blemlshes-are called select
ed;' the rest 'culls.' The various sizes
are known according to their weight,
5000 meaning olives that count eighty
to ninety to the kilo.
''After Sorting the olives are then
put back into the casks, the bungs
driven in, and the whole is ready for
shipment to the American importer"
do you begin to pack as soon as they
arrive in New York;" was the next
leading question.
mo, indeed! The long ocean voyage
affects olives as much as II does hu-
man beings. They generally succumb
to 'seasickness' en- route-that is, we
find them in some stage Of fermenta-
ton on arrival, which requires our con-
stant care until they recover"
Doesn't this 'seasickness,' as you
call 1t, impair the quality in any wayT
"Not at all. 1t only makes the olive
man feel the burden of his RESPONSE
bilities. In every stage of fermentation
there Is critical moment when he
must exercise the greatest care and
caution. If the olives recover, they are
really much improved in quality. II
they don't. they are hopelessly ruined.
There is no intermediate condition.
Arco Special