Nearly all the green olives used in this country come from Spain and are
generally known as “Queen olives.” In years of shortage a few come from
Italy, Greece, and France. They are hand picked, cleaned, treated in the
usual way with lye, and washed, but during this process care is
exercised to prevent them being exposed to the air as it is desired to
retain the green color. They are then graded for size and quality and
placed in huge casks or “pipes” with sufficient brine to cover them.
The “pipes” are exposed to the sun to favor the fermentation which
requires six weeks or more, depending upon the temperature. During the
fermentation, the olives change slowly from deep green to golden. The
pipes hold from 160 to 180 gallons and are used for shipping the olives
to this country. Ten per cent brine is used for filling the casks, but
the brine weakens during the curing and is usually 7 or 7-1/2% at the
finish.
The Queen olives are hand graded for size on the basis of the number per
kilo. The following grades are made: