"Charles Gifford" > wrote in message link.net>...
> "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

Thanks for the info-so even though they are green in color they are
still ripe. Yes you are correct-I find them tasteless but hey
everyone has their own taste appreciation profiles.

Interestingly enough the batch of black/ripe Kalamata olives I bought
this week were not nearly as good as the batch from last week-same
store-guess it was a different drum. Course the vegetable/fruit
producers in CA have the whole process down pat-no variability.