Growing
Olives
Organically
Pickling olives
|
Organisations and Resources
available for olive growers
Olives SA - Functionally the Olive Association
of South Australia - runs seminars, tastings, field trips and has a coordinating
committee which meets regularly
Address….Lisa Rowntree 08 85736545, fax 08 85736595
longridge@lm.net.au
Northern Olive Growers Group - c/- Mid
North Regional Development Board, 229 Main North Rd Clare SA 5453.
Olives Australia - A major nursery located
in Qld. Proprietors are Ray and Delphine Archer and their son Julian. They
have a staggering range of varieties (50+) and send trees all over Australia
quite cheaply. They also offer an information and consulting service and
sell a wide range of equipment. They run an Info Day annually in March
.
Address..16 Mc Garva Rd, Grantham, Qld. 4347….
Ph 074 661333 fax 074 66 1592
Australian Olive Association - An association
with individual members from all over Aust. It has successfully collaborated
with regional organisations despite a slightly bumpy take-off in 1995.
Publishes ‘The Olive Press’ newsletter and coordinates seminars, overseas
guest expert visits etc; is the national political voice of the olive industry.
Lisa Rowntree 08 85736545, fax 08 85736595 longridge@lm.net.au
Primary Industries and Resources SA
This government department has been heavily involved
in the establishment of ‘Olives SA’. They provide a development and extension
service through their specialist consultant Susan Sweeney, Rural Solutions
SA based at the Waite campus.
They have produced an Excel spreadsheet package
for calculating Gross Margins and constructing Development Budgets as well
as publishing good written material.
Other regional groups in Australia - see
'Australian Olive Grower' magazine or contact the Aust Olive Association.
Publications
‘Australian Olive Grower’ published by The Kondinin
Group, edited by Phil Hartnett, currently contactable via Olives Australia
(address above) quarterly. Subs $25.
‘University of California Olive Production Manual’
- $60 from Olives Aust (address above)
‘University of California’ - Pest Management
Guidelines - $7.70 from Olives Aust
‘Australian Olives’ by Michael Burr
‘Intro to olive oil processing’ $13.20 from Olives
Aust
*‘An Economic Study into Dryland Olive Growing
and Oil Processing in Southern Aust’ -
*‘An Economic Study into Irrigated Olive Growing
and Oil Processing in Southern Aust’
*‘An Introduction to Olive Growing in Southern
Aust’…. from Primary Industries SA, Lenswood Research centre, Swamp Rd,
Lenswood, SA 5240
‘The Commercial Viability of Existing Olive Varieties
for Various Australian Climates’ approx$20 from Horticulture Australia
Limited
Level 1, 50 Carrington Street, Sydney, 2000 phone
02 8295 2300 fax 02 8295 2399
‘Proceedings of a Seminar Olives and Carobs for
Landcare and for Profit’, Adelaide University, Roseworthy Campus 1995
Equipment and Services
Olives Australia - address above - markets a
wide range of tree husbandry and pressing equipment. See their website
www.oliveaustralia.aust.com
Alfa Laval - Private Bag 40, Homebush, NSW, 2140
for processing gear.
Oltech - Box 142, Stepney SA 5069, conducts tests
on oil for quality
Butlers Irrigation, 204 Sturt St Adelaide, SA.
Design and supply of irrigation equipment
Michel Tilche and Associates - Sydney…Supplier
of Pieralisi pressing equipment
Peter Haslett- Mechanised harvesting contractor
Wilhelm Rd, Murtho, SA 5340
Ph 08 85858 046
Don Evangelista - Ph 08 82830388 Greenfields
Olive Oil Co, 12 Greenfields Dv, Greenfields, SA …big Alpha Laval continuous
pressing plant
Peter Maroudas and his daughter Rita Flabouris
- Maroudas Olives, Cawthorne St Thebarton Ph 08 835403220 - big continuous
Greek press
Joe Bagnato - Symes Rd, Waterloo Corner
Ph 08 8280 8130 - good batch press
Don and Tony Maccolino - Old Pt Wakefield Rd
Two Wells Ph 018 897 827 - beautiful batch press
Nick Kyriacou - Verdale Olives. Ph 08 82340703
Processes olives for gourmet pickles
Nurseries
Nuriootpa Nurseries - 52, Greenoch Rd, Nuriootpa,
SA 5355 Ph 0885621213
Olives Australia - 16 Mc Garva Rd, Grantham,
Qld. 4347…. Ph 074 661333
Sunraysia Nurseries - Box 45 , Gol Gol,
NSW 2738 Ph 050 248502
Olea Nursery - Louis Bazzani, RMB 44 Manlimup,
WA 6258, Ph 097 721 207
Agrolive Ltd agrolive@agrolive.com.au
Growing
Olives Organically
Organic growing is when your system emulates
nature in its interconnectedness. It tends not to rely on massive amounts
of ‘plant protection’ or highly manufactured fertilizers and it has
minimal impact on the surrounding environment. Spinoffs of organic growing
are that you can be sure no toxic residues remain in fruit when it is harvested
and that you’re eating food produced by a sustainable system. Premium prices
are another reward; they can add 30-100% to the value of your crop. In
this article Graham Brookman shares some of the tricks gleaned from growing
more than 25 different varieties on his property ‘The Food Forest’, near
Gawler.
Choosing varieties is a key step towards organic
growing
Get varieties which do well in your area and
have been bred for disease and adaption to the environment. We use the
table olive variety UC13A6 rather than Sevillano because of its easy pollination,
regular cropping and tolerance of less than perfect soil fertility. Mission
is a variety which withstands cold and produces a dual purpose olive.
Plant trees which ripen at a convenient time
for harvesting in your area and don’t require abscission-promoting chemicals
to be used for mechanical harvesting (Manzanillo may be tough to harvest).
Go for varieties which are going to sell readily, remembering that organic
buyers are also often gourmet buyers, and are seeking food with a lot of
character. Be very clear that most table olives produce very little oil.
Good information about yields is available and I was surprised to see how
well an old variety had done in national trials. Del Marocco had been saved
from a 1903 planting by Prof Arthur Perkins at Roseworthy and propagated
for new plantings by Olives Australia.
Soil and fertiliser
Olives are tolerant of sites which are marginal
for most horticultural crops but even they baulk at a layer of solid rock
or an impermeable clay. Areas with very shallow water tables are not the
place to plant olives.
Provide the tree with certified organic fertilizer
on a regular basis and keep an eye on your trees for any signs of nutritional
problems: small or malformed leaves, mottling, excessive lightness in colour,
or poor quality fruit. Such symptoms can give an indication of nutrient
deficiencies which may be corrected by applying a dose of an appropriate
organically approved compound. Undertaking soil or leaf tissue testing
is recommended for substantial plantings. Some analytical labs are happy
to prescribe organic fertilizers. We use an independent lab called SWEP,
47 Bridge Rd Keysborough Vic 3173. The organic certification organisations
can provide you with a list of allowable fertilizers and the regulations
for their use if you wish to sell produce as ‘organic’.
Whilst compost is used to replace the bulk of
the nutrients lost when fruit leaves the property, leguminous inter-row
plantings like sub clover or Faba (Broad) beans help with Nitrogen fixation
from the atmosphere. Wood ash is often a useful fertilizer (used in moderation)
to help with the olive’s high need for Potassium and there is a good chance
you’ll need to apply zinc.
Weed control
Organic weed control methods include mowing,
mulching, flame weeding, steam weeding, timely cultivation and green manuring.
The addition of animals may also provide a boost to income.
Geese are excellent as weed controllers; they
are soft footed and compatible with well established tree crops. They clean
up significant quantities of weed seeds as well as consuming herbage, mainly
of grass species; they can control Couch Grass effectively. In Southern
Australia the Christmas Goose market fits well with feed availability.
Sheep are good at eating down young Salvation Jane but can do significant
soil and tree damage if used at inappropriate times. We use Brush Tailed
Bettongs to control sour sobs and they pose no risk to the trees or the
soil.
Some people would say that the Olive is itself
a weed as it has successfully invaded many higher rainfall areas and creek
lines. It is essential to harvest the fruit thoroughly and as early as
practicable and for olive growers to practice reasonable bird control (if
it is needed) to stop birds taking your olives all over the countryside
Irrigation
The olive is magnificently adapted to Southern
Australia and that is one of its major benefits in designing a sustainable
food production system. In a well-designed orchard it will produce crops
with low inputs; to turn it into a fully irrigated, super fertilised crop
seems to defeat its adaptive advantage over softer species. However a dryland/supplementary
irrigated tree needs to find a stable relationship with the soil block
it is exploiting and excessive competition for moisture between it and
other trees must be avoided if the tree is to produce reasonable crops.
The tree is not going to produce masses of new growth every year, just
enough to produce the crop. Once in balance with its environment, the tree
almost stops growing - putting a great deal of effort into forming fruit,
so only minor pruning is required.
However some watering is vital in areas receiving
under 600mm of rain if you are to obtain good crops of high quality fruit.
Permanent sprinkler systems are a nightmare for organic growers as the
overhead systems promote fungal problems and pests and the under-tree sprinklers
seem to fall prey to mowers and become buried in weeds. Suspended drip
lines enable the use of mowers and the wetting pattern of drippers is not
interfered with by weeds.
We apply about 1000 litres of water per tree
per annum in addition to the 450mm rainfall (less than 5% of a conventional
irrigation regime), much like the Spanish, and in this rainfall area I
believe trees should have a spacing of no less than 6 metres by 6 metres
to give them a reasonable soil block to exploit for moisture and nutrients.
In a higher rainfall area (600-1000mm) I would still put in the irrigation
system for establishing the trees and for applying water in particularly
low rainfall years.
Pest Control
Pest and disease control are minimised by building
diversity into your property.
Foragers such as chickens are invaluable in controlling
insect pests and can eliminate the need for insecticidal spraying. They
are an effective predator of Curculio Beetle, the weevil that chews those
scallop shapes in your olive leaves. If weed or pasture growth is rank,
chooks are not effective so mowing the tree lines is a good strategy.
Many insect problems can be resolved by spraying
the trees with Light Mineral Oil or Vegetable Oil; this is an organically
acceptable way of suffocating the adults and eggs of pests such as the
Black Olive Scale (also known as Brown Scale); a 2% oil spray is applied
in Dec/Jan when the young have hatched. A major problem in building up
good ecological control of scale is that ants ‘farm’ the scale for the
sugary substance they exude and protect the scale from natural enemies
such as parasitic wasps and the larvae of lacewings, black ladybirds etc.
A non-biocidal solution to the ant problem is to install sticky bands around
the tree trunks. This stops both the ants and Curculio beetles. In SA a
goo called Tak Gel (from Rentokil) is excellent. It is pasted onto masking
tape wrapped around the trunk. Branches touching the ground will of course
negate the usefulness of the band!
Certified Organic
If you wish to have your olive products certified
‘organic’ you can choose between the National Association for Sustainable
Agriculture Aust (NASAA), Biological Farmers of Australia (BFA) or Biodynamic
Farmers Association (who use the Demeter brand). These organisations can
provide information and arrange for a property inspection and soil/produce
tests to ensure that you are not growing your olives on a contaminated
site or receiving non-allowed sprays via wind drift from neighbouring properties.
Their certification is accepted by the Australian Quarantine Inspection
Service as the basis for Australian organic exports and guarantees freedom
from canola or non organic oils.
Pickling Olives
The following pickling recipes article has
been adapted from Australian Olive Grower Issue 4, November 1997
Place the olives on a clean stone surface or
cutting board and bruise them with another stone or hammer. Alternatively
prick several times with a fork, or make three slits in the skin of each
olive with a small serrated knife while turning the fruit between
the thumb and index finger. This bruising, pricking or cutting will allow
the water and salt to penetrate the fruit thereby drawing out the
bitterness and also preserving it. This will also do away with the need
to use a caustic soda solution as used in commercial processing of olives.
Toss them immediately into a bucket of clean
water in which one half cup of coarse or cooking salt has been dissolved
into every ten cups of water. A clean plate can be placed on top to keep
the olives submerged. All olives must be under the liquid. Pour the
liquid away each day and replace with fresh salt water. Repeat this
washing process for about 12 days for green olives and about 10 days for
black (ripe) olives. The best test is to bite an olive. When the bitterness
has nearly gone, the olives are ready for the final salting. As you can
see, this simple recipe involves the disposal of salty rinse water into
the environment. If you decide to commercially pickle olives, there are
other recipes that require a longer pickling time but do not result in
salty waste water.
Pour off and measure the last lot of water so
you will know the volume of salt brine that will be required. Measure
that quantity of fresh, warm water into a pan and dissolve the salt,
this time at the rate of 1 cup of salt to 10 cups of water. Bring
the salt water preserving mixture to the boil and allow to cool. Place
olives in bottles and then pour the salt water brine over them until the
fruit is completely submerged. Top up the bottles with up to one centimetre
of olive oil to stop air getting to the fruit and seal the lids on. No
further preparation is required and the bottled olives will store
for at least 12 months in a cool cupboard.
When you are ready eat your olives, pour out
the strong preserving solution and fill the jar with clean, cool
water. Leave in the refrigerator for 24 hours and taste them. If they are
still too salty for your liking, then refill the bottle with a fresh lot
of water and return to the refrigerator for a further 24 hours. (The plain
water leaches some of the salt back out of the olives). At this stage you
can also add any or all of the following flavourings: Grated garlic,
basil, oregano, chopped onion, red capsicum, lemon juice and lemon
pieces. Especially popular is a combination of garlic, basil and lemon
juice.
Black olives in dry salt
This is a traditional way of producing olives.
Alternate layers of washed black olives (5cm) and salt (1cm) are placed
in a container containing drain holes in its base; it should not be made
of metal as the salt would attack it - plastic crockery or earthenware
are fine. You can simply use a plastic bucket with quarter inch holes drilled
through the bottom. The container is covered and left in a dark place.
Shake after a day. Over about 4-5 days osmotic pressure causes the olive
fluids to drain out of the olive while salt dissolves into the olive.
The strong salt tends to debitter the olive and
eventually equilibrium is reached with most of the olive fluid having been
removed and an acceptable salt level reached. If you still consider the
olives too bitter, add some more salt on top of the olives, shake and leave
for a few more days. The whole process should be over in 10 days.
Olive juice will seep out over all this time
so make sure you catch the brine that drips from the container. Don't let
the bucket sit in the accumulating brine.
The olives will be wrinkled and whilst intensely
'olivy'; they are almost sweet too.
When the olives are to your taste, wash thoroughly
in fresh cold water until all salt is removed.
Then they can be dried (a low heat oven or a
home dehydrator is often used if you wish to simply have dried olives).
The olives can also be stored in olive oil, in jars or alternatively
put in zip-lock bags and kept in freezer until you need them. Olives will
keep for years in the freezer and should be thawed naturally.
Others put olives in 50:50 oil and vinegar (oil,
vinegar and herbs of your choice and vinegar of your choice) in glass jars.
The shortcut method using ash
'Ash and Olives!' by Craig Hill; adapted from
"L'Olivier et la preparation des olives
en Provence: recettes familiales" by Max Lambert:
1. Crush and sift a quantity of new wood ash;
the weight of the ash should be equal to the weight of the olives
to be prepared. The olives should be freshly picked, clean and undamaged.
2. Make a fairly liquid paste by pouring boiling
water on the ash. Cover and allow to cool completely.
3. Carefully stir in the olives to coat them with
the ash paste.
4. Gently stir the olives once daily for 5 to
7 days.
5. Towards the end of the week, cut several olives
lengthwise; the "de-bitter-isation" is complete when the fruit has darkened
to about 1mm from the stone.
6. Rinse the olives clean [dispose of the ash
paste and contaminated water thoughtfully] and submerge them in clean water
(avoiding contact with the air); the water should be changed every
4 or so hours for the first day, then daily for 3 or 4 more days.
This process is finished when the water remains clear and has no or little
rusty discoloration. [At this stage you should also taste the fruit:
although the flavour will be rather crude, the bitterness should have all
but disappeared.]
7. Preserve in sterile jar(s) in a saline solution
or vinegar mixture as in the usual recipes, adding aromatic herbs,
garlic, lemon pieces to taste and with a 5mm layer of olive oil.
The concentration of the preservative/saline solution
in point 7 should be sufficient to partially float an egg or a small potato.
Personally I err on the generous side with the salt (thinking that the
olives are doing me so much good that the body can probably tolerate a
bit more salt!). Depending on the aromatics, I've usually added about
10% vinegar. An Italian contact also taught me the trick of keeping
the olives submerged by placing a 'wreath' of wild fennel stalks
under the lid.
An unusual method but with a sound explanation!
Wood ash is about as alkaline as the usual soda/lye recipes and this
neutralises the oleopicrine. The advantage of this "alkaline" bath is that,
done properly, it preserves the integrity ie the flavour, firmness
and colour of the fruit. The advantage of this method is that it 'appears'
to be a bit more environmentally friendly than using caustic or washing
soda. There is still the problem of disposing of the strongly alkaline
paste, but it seems to be less environmentally disastrous than some
other methods. - Craig Hill"
Here's another recipe from Kymira Olives, Karrinyup,
WA
Place the olives on a cutting board and bruise
them with a stone or hammer. Alternatively, prick several times with a
fork, or make three slits in the skin of each olive with a small serrated
knife while turning the fruit between the thumb and index finger. This
bruising, pricking or cutting wil allow the water and salt to penetrate
the fruit thereby drawing out the bitterness and also preserving it. This
will do away with the need to use caustic soda solution as used in commercial
processing of olives.
Toss them immediately into a bucket of clean
water in which one half cup of coarse or cooking salt has been dissolved
into every ten cups of water. A clean plate can be placed on top to keep
the olives submerged. All olives must be under liquid. Pour the liquid
away each day and replace with fresh salt water. Repeat this washing process
for about 12 days for green olives and about 10 days for black (ripe) olives.
The best test is to bite an olive. When the bitterness
has nearly gone, the olives are ready for the final salting. As you can
see, this simple recipe involves the disposal of salty rinse water into
the environment.
Pour off and measure the last lot of water so
that you will know the volume of salt brine that will be required. Measure
that quantity of fresh, warm water into a pan and dissolve the salt, this
time at the rate of 1 cup of salt to 10 cups of water. Bring the salt water
preserving mixture to the boil and allow to cool. Place the olives in bottles
or jars and then pour the salt brine over them until the fruit is completely
submerged. Top up bottles with up to one centimeter of olive oil to stop
air getting to the fruit and seal the lids. No further preparation is required
and the bottled olives will store for at least 12 months in a cool cupboard.
When you are ready to eat your olives, pour out
the strong preserving solution and fill the jar with clean, cool water.
Leave in a refrigerator for a further 24 hours (the plain water leaches
some of the salt back out of the olives). At this stage you can also add
any or all of the following flavourings: basil, grated garlic, oregano,
chopped onion, red capsicum, lemon juice and lemon pieces. A popular combination
is garlic, basil and lemon juice.
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