It is believed that the first olive trees came
from countries surrounding the Mediterranean Sea. It is said that
the Greeks brought the olive tree to Italy, Spain, France and Tunisia,
and that the Romans continued to spread the olive tree throughout
Europe and other countries. By 1000 B.C., the Greeks and Romans discovered
the exceptional culinary aspects of olive oil, as well as the medicinal
benefits for hair and skin as a conditioner to soaps and candles.
Olive oil was a sign of victory in the ancient Greek Olympics. It
was awarded to the winners along with olive wreaths.
Biblical references to olives and olive oil are many. In Genesis,
the first sign of life seen by Noah after the flood was the branch
of an olive tree brought back by a dove. Since then, the olive branch
has been used and is well known as a symbol of life and peace.
The Israelites offered olive oil as a gift to God thousands of years
ago. They used it to light lamps and prepare anointing oil to use
in the temple. A religious significance of olive oil is documented
in the Book of Exodus, where Moses is told by the Lord how to make
an anointing oil of spices and olive oil. During consecration, holy
anointing oil was poured over the heads of kings and priests, and
it is still used today in the Roman Catholic Church.
Olive tree cultivation and olive oil production were extended throughout
the Mediterranean and northern African countries by Roman and Arab
cultures. It was centuries later (in the early 1700’s and 1800’s)
that Spanish Jesuits brought olives to the early missions of Mexico.
Eventually, Franciscan priests brought olive trees with them when
they settled in California and founded the first California mission
at San Diego de Alcalá.
During a recent conversation with our parish priest, Fr. Joseph Fiedorowicz
of Immaculate Heart of Mary located in Brentwood, CA. (who was born
and raised in Poland), I asked what type of oil was used for our Catholic
religious events? He confirmed that it is “extra virgin olive oil”.
Priests of various parishes, [after the chrism mass], obtain a sufficient
quantity of the three Oils for the needs of their churches and people.
In each parish church these consecrated Oils are kept with great care
and reverence, being enclosed in suitable containers, which are preserved
in a locked box, affixed to the wall of the sanctuary. The Oil of
Catechumens is usually labeled O. C. or O. S.; the Chrism is distinguished
by the letters S. C.; and the Oil of the Sick bears the initials O.
I. The unused oils which may be left over from the preceding year
are not to be used for any Sacrament or any liturgical purpose. They
are poured into the sanctuary lamp, and are consumed as ordinary oil.
This account of the beautiful ceremonies [the Church involving the
holy oils] will show the value which the Church attaches to these
Holy Oils.
Within a few decades, California olives, probably from cuttings, were
grown and pickled for table olives as well as processed for oil. There
was a period when most of the olive trees were untended as a result
of the competition from low cost European oils that drove California
oil right out of the market. The olive tree cannot tolerate extreme
cold or damp, but can survive lengthy periods of drought. They can
grow to a great height, but most are pruned to facilitate picking.
Olive trees have a great tenacity of life because when the main trunk
dies, new shoots sprout up around its base, eventually growing into
a new tree. It is not unusual, for instance, for olive trees to live
to 600 years or more. So it is not impossible that the trees at present
in the Garden of Gethsemane are those under which Christ prayed, the
night before he died.
Fortunately for California, interest in olive oil crested again in
the 1960’s and 1970’s due to the movement of healthier eating. In
the past 10 years plus, Californians have taken a great personal interest
in revitalizing the olive tree and it’s precious “oil” by planting,
harvesting and taking pride in producing some of the finest olive
oil outside of our European competitors.
Growing olives is now big business; olive oil is a world commodity,
so modern methods of cultivation are being used increasingly, much
like other vital crops, and these days on most commercial estates
trees are fertilized, pruned and irrigated.
The tree is an evergreen and their leaves are paired opposite each
other down the branches. The leaves upper surface is dark green and
the lower surface appears to be a silvery-green. Olive trees seem
to shimmer in a silvery haze when the wind blows. It’s a tranquil
and beautiful sight to experience.
Like all fruit trees, the olive is also subject to attack from fungi
and insects. Its particular enemy is the Olive Fruit Fly (OLFF). It’s
an enemy that needs to be controlled and early detection is essential.
For more information, visit www.ucdavis.edu. The olive grower’s year
is certainly a full and active one. Apart from pruning and fertilizing,
the trees need to be harvested either mechanically or manually hand
picked. Harvesting can start in the middle of fall and as late as
early spring. Please note that weather can be a factor as well. Once
harvested, there is a very small window of time to have the olives
pressed for oil. Ideally, pressing should be within 48 hrs. after
harvesting.
The bounty which the olive tree provides is not in its fruit alone
as there is almost no part of this eternal tree which cannot be utilized.
For example, the olive wood is highly regarded for its beautiful black
and brown grain and its honey color. It was so highly valued by the
Romans that they forbade its being burned for common use and therefore
reserved it solely for the altars of the gods. In this day, it is
now fashioned into furniture, boxes, salad bowls, and religious items;
and as in Greek times, it is used by craftsmen for carving works of
art. Remarkably, the infusion of the leaves is recommended for sufferers
of hypertension and those with heart conditions, as well as being
an effective diuretic. Can there be another tree with such a history,
with such folklore surrounding it and with such a multiplicity of
uses?
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