General Description/History

• Oval in shape
• Slightly larger than a grape
• Thin skin and meaty flesh
• Green or black in colour with a red blush
• One hard seed
• The olive is inedible until processed i.e. pickled in brine

Select firm, unblemished fruit.

The olive is inedible until processed, it is usually pickled in a brine or pressed to extract olive oil. Pickled olives can be used in pizzas, salad, casseroles, foccacia and cheese platters.

Olive trees fruit well all around Australia except in the tropical north. Even though they are evergreen, they still prefer a cool winter so they can rest before their main shootings, flowering and fruiting in the warmer months.

Olive trees will tolerate a large range of soil conditions. They will grow in hilly, rocky areas that are not suitable for other crops.

Olive trees will survive even in very cold areas. With minimal care, olive trees will live in excess of a thousand years as has been demonstrated in the Middle East and in places of historic note like the Garden of Gethsemane in Jerusalem.

Olives are thought to have originated in Asia and Greece. Olives are now grown widely throughout the world. In Mediterranean countries, the plants form a characteristic of the landscape.

Once processed or pickled, the fruit is palatable and forms an important part of the diet of Mediterranean people. Greece produces 72% of the world’s pickled olives.

Olives were originally grown for their oil, which was pressed from the fruit. This oil was used in religious ceremonies and as a base for perfumes. Today the oil is used for food and also in the manufacture of soap. It was estimated in 1979 that 1,000,000 tonnes of oil is produced each year, 90% of it coming from Spain and Italy.

Nutritional Value

Olives are a good source of dietary fibre, potassium and vitamin A. Olives contain mono-unsaturated fat which reduces blood cholesterol levels.

Storage/Handling

7 – 10°C and 90 – 98% relative humidity.

Consumer Storage: Store in an airtight plastic bag in the refrigerator crisper until they are required for processing.

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Botanical Name: Olea europaea (Oleaceae)

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Growing Areas: 

QLD – Chinchilla
VIC – Mid Murray Districts, Sunraysia
SA – Adelaide Plains, Riverland
WA