From Tree to Table: Sections in an Olive Report

Olives

1Have you ever tasted an olive? Some people love these small, salty fruits, and others do not like them at all. Olives grow on trees, and people have been growing them for thousands of years. This report explains where olives grow, how they become ready to eat, and how people use them.

2Olives grow on olive trees. These trees often have twisted trunks and narrow leaves that are green on top and silvery underneath. Olive trees grow best in places with hot, dry summers and mild winters, such as the lands around the Mediterranean Sea. An olive tree can live for hundreds of years.

3An olive picked straight from the tree tastes very bitter. To make olives good to eat, people cure them. Curing often means soaking the olives in salty water for weeks or even months. My grandmother cures olives in big glass jars on her kitchen counter, and she tastes one each week to see if they are ready.

4People use olives in many ways. Olives can be crushed and pressed to make olive oil, which cooks use for frying, baking, and salad dressing. Olive trees have small white flowers in the spring. Whole olives are added to salads, breads, and pizzas, or eaten as a snack. Long ago in ancient Greece, winners at the Olympic Games were given a crown made from olive leaves.

5Olives may be small, but they have a big place in kitchens around the world. The next time you see a bowl of olives, you will know about the long journey they took to reach the table.