Amanda Muller, age 13, of Missoula, Mont., for her question:
IS THE OLIVE A TALL TREE?
An interesting fruit tree is the olive, which is an evergreen that will grow to be between 10 and 40 feet in height. It is an important source of oil and it also produces a fruit that is a popular table delicacy.
Spain and Greece are the leading growing locations for olives, with California coming in third. Italy also is a top olive producer.
Most of the olives grown in the Mediterranean area are used to produce oil. Olives to be harvested for oil extraction are always left on the trees until they fully ripen.
Each spring the trees produce sweat smelling, whitish flowers. They are in clusters among the leaves. Within six to sight months, the fruits have developed and the oil content is at its maximum.
As the olives ripen, they change in color. At first they are green and then they become straw colored, red and finally black. They are not fully ripened until they turn black.
Ripe olives are gently crushed in grinders. Only a moderate amount of pressure is used to obtain a first pressing, which is called virgin olive oil. This is considered the finest that can be produced.
Most of the olive oil is then obtained by again squeezing the pulp. Finally, chemicals are used to remove even more oil from the pulp. This final press gives a quality of oil that is lower in grade than the first pressing.
Olive oil is used extensively in various types of cooking, for salads and in the canning of certain fish.
Raw olives are bitter and cannot be used as a table delicacy without a special kind of pickling process. They are harvested while still greenish or straw colored although they are full size. They are then soaked in a lye solution that also contains water and brine. The exact procedure depends on the type of olives that are wanted. If black, or ripe, olives are desired, the fruits being processed are exposed to the air, which darkens them.
If they are harvested black and fully ripe, the olives are made edible by a salting process.
For more than 4,000 years olive tress have been cultivated in the Mediterranean area. Legend has it that the olive was a gift to the Greeks from the goddess Athena. The city of Athens was named after her because of the olive's value.
California's olive industry started when missionaries from Europe planted olive seeds near the San Diego Mission in 1769.
Olive leaves are leathery and grow opposite each other on the twigs. They are dark green on the tap and silvery below.
In canning olives for table use, the seed or stone often is removed. Sometimes the cavity is filled with a spicy material such as red pepper.
Wood from cultivated olive trees is hard and fine grained. It is used to make fine furniture and cabinets.