what is an olive and how is olives grown?

Answer 1

Olives come from trees, Olea europaea, that are native to the mediterranean region. The olive we eat is the trees fruit. This form is called a drupe. One seed inside one capsule or skin with the fruits flesh around the seed. (peaches are drupes also) The seed has a hard shell that protects it. So these are also called stone fruit.
Olives are picked while still slightly green but are fully sized or after they are ripe to make black olives.
All the different kinds of olive available are different cultivars. This produces olives like arbequina, picholine, or kalamata.
Then they treat the olives differently, they are usually cured in lye, brine, or salt. Some are further pickled while others are stored in oil after curing.
http://lolivier-sonoma.com/mediacenter/1112.htm

Olive orchard managment
The trees do best with calcium rich soil and do not do well on acid soils. They do best with pH between 7- 8.
To plant a tree it is best to heavily amend the soil with 2.5 to 3 cubic ft. of composted manure spread over the trees eventual root zone, about 9 sq feet. Then add the trace minerals like 'Azomite' and lime if adjusting the pH.
Till this in as deep as possible before planting. Water to saturation and plant the tree in the center of the prpared area. plant at the same depth it was in the pot. Last, mulch the tilled area 4-6 inches deep to hold the water in the soil. however do not let the mulch touch the tree trunk.
Arbequinas will grow in Zone 8-10. If in zone 8 they need shelter and full sun.

Answer 2

I lived in a house with an olive tree in the front yard. It was as tall as our two story house and absolutly beautiful. The leaves are long and thin with silver on the undersides. The olives themselves are about the size of a marble and start out green and hard but ripen to a purple/black color. Raw they are puckery and make your tounge feel funny like an unripe persimmon. One year we cured a giant bowl of olives by soaking them in water that had a bit of lye in it. We rinsed them and soaked them in salt water and it was great. This was in California where it is sunny and never gets very cold. We didn't have to do anythiing special to it. I don't think we even watered it.

Answer 3

An olive is grown on a tree. It will take 10years for a olive tree to produce.

Answer 4

it's a green, black or brown vegetable with a seed in it. They are small, and come in different sizes almost the size of your fingernails. Some are tart, some are salty but all come with a seed in the middle of it, and they grow on trees. They can be used in salads, as a garnish for meat, etc. but the oil that comes from them is the best for cooking with as using it in a skillet to start a meal or dunking one's bread in it, etc.