Years ago people planted tons of Spanish olive trees around town. They thrive in the dry arid climate and are beautiful trees. Sometime in the 80’s people decided that they made too much pollen and outlawed fruiting olive trees in Arizona. They made a hardy and productive tree illegal, I still can’t believe it. So now you can’t buy anything bu sterile olive trees in this state, but there are still many grand old olive trees lining the streets.

Usually they right then around October, but this year they all seem to have traded early and we’re ready to pack in September. I spotted two trees in the park near our house that were loaded with truth. The three largest trees had already been harvested by the time we got there. The little leak mom who came over to see what we are doing told us that she had seen Ethiopian emigrant women climbing the trees and their sandals picking all the olives. I felt a kinship with this tree climbing olive picking women. There were two smaller trees off to the side that we’re still laden with fruit. A couple of buckets and 6 foot ladders and we had all olives we needed.

The green olives will be brine cured and the slightly riper olives that are beginning to darken will be dry salt cured. Brine curing involved soaking the olives in salt brine and is what you are probably used to. Dry salt curing turns them into a soft, chewy, salty treat that’s totally different. They are almost the texture of a prune, but salty and olive-y. Delicious.