Yesterday, we picked a tree's worth of olives -- the first time I have done this. Then in the evening I began the process of pickling them (salt, water, bucket, plate) which will take two weeks.
We plan to put in a large number of olive trees at Jam Tree Gully, in an area which was cleared by previous occupants. So I hope to be picking and pickling many more such olives in time...
[Olives, before cleaning]
I love olives. I have a tree growing in my back yard. It started its life several decades ago in another back yard, behind a Zen Centre in East Perth. My father, whose Zen name is "ancient tree", collected several seedlings - there were hundreds self-seeded under an ancient and noble parent tree. Dad is very good at bonsai, and after many years he had successfully nurtured two gorgeous Bonsai olive trees. That is until he went away on a long trip and left the trees in my tender care. He was away so long all the soil got washed out of one of the pots and - afraid that tree in particular would die before Dad got home - I transplanted it into an ordinary pot to keep it alive until his return. When he eventually did arrive, Dad examined the situation and announced that it would just be an ordinary tree now... Well, I have tried, but no matter what pot I put it in (being transient with a portable garden), the tree has insisted on outrageously out-growing all its containers. About six months ago I gave in and transplanted it to a garden bed in the rear of the house we are renting here in Geraldton . The tree is thriving, growing healthily, still desperately trying to find its olive tree shape, but it is getting there.
ReplyDeleteThat's amazing, Barbara. We both thought this was virtually a poem in itself!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing it.