Olives??

[curlygirl82]

I'm so lost about olives. I love 'em, wanna eat 'em, but really don't understand which are raw, which are good for you. It makes sense to me to avoid the ones in jars/cans - just on general principle, regardless of if they're raw - but when it comes to the olive bar at WhoFoo, for example, does anything go? Green and black? If they're black, do you have to make sure they're a certain kind? And the green ones - a foodie friend told me that all green olives are treated with lye (like hominy) - ?!?!?! That sounds very bad.
Very Confused, please advise!

[juliebove]

I'm so lost about olives. I love 'em, wanna eat 'em, but really don't understand which are raw, which are good for you. It makes sense to me to avoid the ones in jars/cans - just on general principle, regardless of if they're raw - but when it comes to the olive bar at WhoFoo, for example, does anything go? Green and black? If they're black, do you have to make sure they're a certain kind? And the green ones - a foodie friend told me that all green olives are treated with lye (like hominy) - ?!?!?! That sounds very bad.
Very Confused, please advise!

You would have to ask at Whole Foods to see if they are raw or not. Could be some of them are, but I doubt all of them are. Especially since olive bars tend to have some that are stuffed with things like jalapenos, cheese and almonds.

I have bought purportedly raw olives twice now from various sources online. The first time they arrived in a plain box (no ice pack) and one of the jars was leaking. I noticed that the other one had a lid that was barely screwed on. I questioned their safety and threw them out.

The next time, the olives looked and tasted exactly like the jarred ones I've bought that say Kalamatta olives. So I rather doubted they were raw as well.

Alissa sells some but I have not bought from her. I have seen the dried looking olives, but I once had a Greek dried olive and found it to be quite nasty so I've never tried any dried ones again.

[walnutty]

Rawguru has a great selection! I love the habanero (green) and the morrocan (black) that he sells.

[Eva]

I have tried the ones Alissa sells (phenomenal) and also some from www.organiclivingfoods.com (a gallon of black olives). All of them were raw, although the bulk olives are salted a fair amount.

There are usually added ingredients to keep them "fresh" if you find them in any store that doesn't specialize in raw food. For a while I thought I had scored at Trader Joe's, then I saw the little teeny writing on the side that said that were pasteurized. That was a real disappointment, but I'm not sure that they even need to note it anywhere.

[Ilse W.]

I once ate an olive off a tree. Biiiiig mistake. They are inedible raw. They must be processed the way acorns are processed (with lye) before they are edible. (Ask a Native American). I was told what the process is, but I can't remember. It does NOT include heating though. I think the green ones are the unripe ones, sort of like green bell peppers vs. red ones. I could be completely wrong, wouldn't be the first time.:)

[Miss Marie]

The green olives from this site(Alissa's Store) that are stuffed with jalapeno's are SO GOOD!! They're big and flavorful :)

[juliebove]

I once ate an olive off a tree. Biiiiig mistake. They are inedible raw. They must be processed the way acorns are processed (with lye) before they are edible. (Ask a Native American). I was told what the process is, but I can't remember. It does NOT include heating though. I think the green ones are the unripe ones, sort of like green bell peppers vs. red ones. I could be completely wrong, wouldn't be the first time.:)

Black olives are dyed. I didn't believe this when someone told me. So I looked it up and it's true. Since then, I found a can of green ripe olives. I bought it and served them at a family dinner. Everyone said they liked the taste of the black ones better. To me they tasted the same. Exactly the same. Weird.

[Ilse W.]

The olive I picked off the tree and stuck in my mouth was dark purple/black

[Veganforlife]

Black olives are dyed. I didn't believe this when someone told me. So I looked it up and it's true. Since then, I found a can of green ripe olives. I bought it and served them at a family dinner. Everyone said they liked the taste of the black ones better. To me they tasted the same. Exactly the same. Weird.

Check this out!

http://www.oliveoilsource.com/SCRIPTS/dictionary.asp?p_do=item&p_id=183

Olives naturally turn black as they ripen. When unripe they are green. As they ripen they get reddish, then purplish and finally black

[Robison]

Ive just been eating the store bought kind, they make a salad super good and help add calories.

[juliebove]

Check this out!

http://www.oliveoilsource.com/SCRIPTS/dictionary.asp?p_do=item&p_id=183

Olives naturally turn black as they ripen. When unripe they are green. As they ripen they get reddish, then purplish and finally black

True, but it isn't necessarily an even black coloring so the ones you buy in the stores are dyed.

[juliebove]

Ive just been eating the store bought kind, they make a salad super good and help add calories.


But they're probably not raw.

[curlygirl82]

wow, guys, thanks for all the info. i think for now i'll just get them from a trustworthy source - rawguru or alissa. thanks so much!!