My first tasting of an olive came at a very young age. Both of my parents loved dry martini's! So I would sit at the kitchen table and patiently wait for my dad to pour the vodka, add a little vermouth to his bright and shinny martini shaker, and then last, but not least, was the skewering of the olives on the toothpick to drop into the glass. He always put 3 olives on a toothpick for me almost as a bribe. Because the next words out of his mouth were "I will give you these olives but you have to give your mom and I at least 15 minutes of complete alone time;" I grabbed the olives and ran!!


Now as an adult I know the value and benefits of the olive. But not all olives are the same. Olives are difficult to harvest and distribute in their natural state. But it can be done. Green olives, (like the ones you buy in the grocery store) are unripe olives, picked early from a tree. At this stage the fruit has not reached it's full potential for oil and mineral content. When they are picked this way they are high in tannic acids, and because of this they are treated with lye, ( a harsh alkaline chemical). They will naturally ripen after they have fallen to the ground, but  you have to be a real expert to be able to select properly ripened olives.

In most cases, the best way to be able to distribute them and ensure quality is either by water cured, salted and or/ altered in some other way. Vinegar-pickled are fine. Canned black olives have been pasteurized and are soaked in ferrous gluconate, (an iron compound that darkens them) and these should probably  be avoided.

Here are just a few benefits of the Olive:
1. High in magnesium
2. The highest fruit in minerals.
3. The highest fruit in calcium. Twice as much calcium as oranges by weight.
4. High in amino acids.
5. An alkaline fat source.
6. Loaded with Omega-3 and 6
7. High in vitamin A and E
8. High in Antioxidants.
9. Able to dissolve mucus and cooked food residue in the body.

There is also an extraordinary beauty-enhancing substance found in olives and olive oil, squalene.
Squalene keeps the skin smooth and stimulates the immune system.

I mean these little green babies are completely awesome!

I searched today to find the olives that I wanted to order, and the best ones that I have found are from David Wolfe's Longevity Warehouse. They are organic and properly ripened. You can check them out here, http://www.longevitywarehouse.com/David-Wolfe-Foods-Raw-Green-Botija-Olives-3-Pack-p/dwgreenbotijaolives3pk.htm

So, like I said, olives aren't just for martini's anymore. I can't wait to get my order and start taking advantage of the great benefits they offer!!!

Until next time,
Jan
www.realrawbeauty.com