"butch burton" > wrote in message
om...
> IIRC lye cured olives are a California thing-picked green and put in a
> lye solution to turn em black and make them softer. Black or ripe
> olives from Greece or Italy are picked ripe and then submerged in a
> water or oil solution to be "cured".

You don't have the correct information. California Ripe Olive process olives
(these are the ones that are canned) are indeed lye processed but not
necessarily as much as other types of processing. They are picked green but
they are ripe at that time. Further ripening on the tree until they turn
black would not allow for the proper processing by the California Ripe Olive
process. During processing the green ripe olives turn black not because of
the lye but, rather, oxygenation. Using the California Ripe Olive process,
olives are not cured or preserved by pickling. This is the only process that
does not cure or preserve by pickling (usually salt or oil). California Ripe
Olives are preserved only by the canning process. Whether or not you like
California Ripe Olives is a different matter. ;-)

Charlie