Ohhh... I just couldn't let this pass without comment!

SummitTalent@aol.com wrote:

>Which olives, the black or the green, are more suitable for the
>production of olive oil.
>
>
>There is no such thing as Black Olives... Black Olives are treated or
>De-Bittered for eating- The Black color comes from the process. All Olives
are
>green for oil.
>
>
I have, in my olive inventory, olives that have been allowed to fully
ripen on the tree and have been picked when black right through to the
pit. They are naturally black, no chemical treatment has been applied.
They have been dry salt cured and then with the salt brushed off are
submerged in EVOO. (or it was when they went in, the salt might have
changed the characteristics of the oil somewhat!). These olives are black.

At my small frantoio, I have pressed olives that range from bright green
(Maturity index = 0) as far as black skin and purple flesh to the pit
(maturity index = 6). True, the riper olives do not necessarily have as
good a quality of oil, but they are still oil producing.