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Olives Everywhere

Oh I'm so glad people are talking about olives, it's the main reason I was
thrilled to join this list.  I don''t have all the questions I wanted to
ask ready yet, but since the thread is happening now, I'll ask what I can.

Background: I just bought a house in Oakland, Calif.  There is a strip of
land/grass between the sidewalk and the street (about 50 feet long but I
have to measure) and I want to put some trees there, including at least one
olive.  I grew up with an olive tree in my front yard (in San Diego) and it
was wonderful (and a great climbing tree too).

Question 1: How long will it take for the trees to bare fruit?

Question 2: How long will it take for the trees to get at least 6 feet high
and at least 2-3 feet wide (I'm trying to block out a view)?

Question 3: As long as I establish the tree with infrequent deep waterings
for the first couple of years (or whatever it takes), can I be assured that
the roots will not crack the sidewalk?  The strip is a standard width, not
very wide at all.  The city says I can put anything I like there as long as
I am responsible for any damage and upkeep.

Question 4: Where is a good place in the Bay Area to get a quality tree at
a fair price?

Question 5: Varieties...the Sunset guide isn't much help.  I want a
fruiting tree that will be drought tolerant (once established) and a good
avenue tree (most are, but I'm not sure if all are).  More than one variety
would be great.  I am partial to intense black olives with lots of flavor.

   Date: Sun, 22 Jun 1997 08:35:52 +1000 (EST)
   From: templeton@albury.net.au (Sue Templeton)

   In the May/June 1997 issue of the Australian Gardener there is an article
   about selecting high quality olive oil and talking about a boutique olive
   grove of 60 acres in Sth Australia.   It says that mission olives make a
   fruity blend with a sharp nutty taste and that is the signature of that
   grove.   Kalamatas are low in oil, 8 percent, but they're fleshier and best
   for pickling.   Verdale olives can be picked or pressed for oil because they
   have a 23 percent oil content.

Hmmm...according to another post, kalamata is the style of pickling, not a
different variety.  Also, in a store with a bulk olive selection (Whole
Foods) they told me the difference was more techinque than variety.  Though
of course this isn't strictly true, since there are different sizes and
different pits.

Where can I get information on the various fruiting varieties?  Both
information on the fruit and on the tree that bears it.

Question 6: Is the difference between a green olive and a black one merely
the time you pick it (black is fully ripe), or??

Question 7: Okay, this isn't a question, it's an answer.  I checked out
olive sites on the net and here are some recipes for making your own olives
and some other olive information.

http://www.gilboa.co.il/ol_tree.htm -- not much info, but some interesting
facts about the history of the olive tree.  No recipes.
http://www.gilboa.co.il/olives.htm has a brief listing of varities.  This
site is that of a food manufacturer.

http://www.bormiolirocco.com/novemk.html is a site with monthly listings of
recipes.  This page has a recipe for black olives in brine.

http://www.lagunabeachca.com/pm1196.htm has information on olives with some
varieties listed.  There is a recipe for pickling the olives with lye.

http://www.marika.com/olives.html -- this is a great little site by someone
in the Bay Area.  It talks about how to poach olives (not in water...with a
ladder and a bucket) and then cure them with little salt.  It has recipes
for green and black olives and lots of details.  The catch is you don't get
the full recipe.  I have no idea why but the author insists on witholding
the recipe after the initial de-bittering until you write, olives in hand,
and ask for it.

http://www.deter.com/flora/mxp/info/16.html -- Recipe for Greek style
olives, without lye.  The difference between this and the other recipes is
that the others have you soak the olives in water or saltwater to de-bitter
them and this recipe calls for sitting the olives in salt, without water.
After the bitterness is gone, you soak them in regular brine.

That's all I have, because Netscape crashes on me regularly so I cant use
it for long.  I found them the hard way, going to Alta Vista and ploughing
through the results of keywords for olive recipe and the like.

Question 8: Is making my own olive oil feasable and, if so, what is the
recipe?

Question 9: When do I plant?  Fall?

Question 10: How close together on the strip can I plant the trees?

Many thanks!

Cyndi

_______________________________________________________________________________
Oakland, California            Zone 9 USDA; Zone 16 Sunset Western Garden Guide
Disabled, chemically sensitive, wheelchair user          Organic Gardening only
_______________________________________________________________________________
"There's nothing wrong with me.  Maybe there's                     Cyndi Norman
something wrong with the universe." (ST:TNG)                   cnorman@best.com
__________________________________________________ http://www.best.com/~cnorman
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