Cure your own OLIVES

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MEL WHITE

One of the first things I noticed when I moved into my apartment here in Chula Vista, California-a few miles south of San Diego-was the fine old olive trees growing among the landscaped shrubbery and lawns of the neighborhood.

"They're Mission olives," an old-time resident of the city told me, "refugees from one of the many groves in this area that have been ripped up and replaced by suburban developments."

Olive trees, however-which have a very long life-don't stop producing fruit just because they've become mere decorations. Literally tons of olives go to waste in southern California every year! Part of the crop, of course, is consumed by starlings, one of the few birds that will eat the bitter berries. The lush oval fruit also makes super ammunition for the slingshot set (the ripe ones find their target with a satisfying purple splat).

Few people try to harvest the olives, because they have a dreadful taste fresh off the tree and must be processed in one of several complicated ways. So most people just rake them up and throw them away then pick up a can of the "readymade" fruit at the supermarket.

Because I'm a frustrated farmer who wants to produce something other than crab grass in his mini-yard, I decided to try harvesting the luscious black olives hanging heavy from the dozen or so trees near my apartment.

A little research into the art and science of preserving olives, however, produced one clear message: Forget it! The juicy black ones you buy in a can at the supermarket, I learned, started their processing before they were ripe. And, anyway, I didn't have room in my pad for all the necessary crocks and vats.

Then I learned about Greek olives! You probably won't find the delicacies in your grocery (I've only seen them in a few specialized restaurants and delicatessens, and at very high prices), and they're probably best classified as "an acquired taste" for some people. But the shriveled, slightly bitter "Greek cures" can be made from already-ripe fruit.

The curing process is also easy, and the cost is next to nothing when the olives are free.So, if you live in southern California-or in any other semitropical area where olive trees are grown just for their craggy beauty you may want to try my method of harvesting and preserving their fruit.