What does the Olive Tree have to Offer?
There is a lovely old story from the Mediterranean that whenever a child was born, an olive tree was planted. The child and the tree grew simultaneously so that as the child developed, the tree would bear fruit, flowers and its bountiful olive products. Families would have generations and generations of olive trees that would represent their family history. Now that is a genuine family tree!
The olive tree is ancient and one of the only trees that can grow in rocky and infertile land which of course is why it has done so well in the Mediterranean region including the more difficult terrain of Tunisia, Malta and the Lebanon.
The olive tree is used for its fruit, its oil and its leaves and all have health benefits to offer. But it is also known as a sign of peace – offering or accepting an olive branch – and as a symbol of vitality, as in the ancient Olympic Games, when the winner would be given an olive branch.
The color of olives depends on the degree of their ripeness, changing their color from yellowish and green to purple and black as they ripen. In Italy for example, there are many varieties with the most popular being the black, fleshy and sweet Baresane; green, giant Greche olives; slightly tart green Siciliane olives; more sour purple and black di Gaeta olives; and green or black di Cerignola olives. Used in cuisine across the world, olives are popular for appetizers, sauces and in various salads and main dishes.
Benefits of the olive tree and its pure and natural products
- Use olives at every opportunity in your culinary dishes.
- Substituting olive oil as a salad dressing.
- Use olive oil instead of other oil when frying.
- Add a teaspoon or two to your cup of tea or coffee every morning.
- Makes your skin soft and smooth by adding a few teaspoons to your bath water.
- Add olive oil to oil your pan when you sauté your organic vegetables.
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