Topic: Olive oil!

[silverbirch]

Ok, dragging this one sort of back.

I've seen lots of olive trees in nurseries, obviously this year's fashionable plant.

I assume that the olives I but in the supermarket are no good for trying to grow (yes, especially the pitted ones!!), so where do you get fresh olives from?

Also, what's the difference between a green olive and a black one?  Different varieties?  Different ripeness?  I've often wondered that.

[Robert_Brenchley]

Pressing them is decidedly not high-tech; the Romans used to crush the olives, then float off the oil. I suspect it could be done at home with a fruit press and a bucket; has anyone thought of trying?

[Biscombe]

Green olives are unripe and have a more concentrated oil content and intense flavor but I assume despite a higher proportion of oil in green olives there's a higher amount of oil in black olives (ripe) because the spanish harvest black (ripe) olives for oil production.

[davee52uk]

One of these days somebody will grow olives and derive oil in this country - this will be sure proof of Global Warming.