Olives: Not just for martinis anymore

One thing to remember about eating fresh, local foods, or even fresh foods from anywhere on the globe: The supply is always unstable.And when weather doesn’t interfere with the supply, economics can do just as much damage.

Cooks (and eaters) who grew up in late 20th-century America are probably a bit spoiled. We expect that, on any given day, we can go to the store

and find the ingredients we want. I’m not talking about exotic and rare ingredients, necessarily. But in our modern world, we sometimes forget that even today there are places in the world where people can’t be certain they’ll find bread when they go to the market.

What led to all this preaching? I was reading online about the world supply of olives and olive oil. To me, olives are like, well, bread and butter. I can’t conceive of going to the store and finding olives or olive oil in short supply. I would be surprised even at a small local market to find fewer than 10 different kinds of olives, in cans, jars or at an olive bar in the produce or deli section. Ditto for olive oil. It just seems to me to get easier and easier to find really good affordable olive oil (and by the way, LaBonne’s market in Salisbury and Freshtown in Amenia both carry the new and extremely excellent and affordable Mazola extra virgin olive oil).

This is, in part, because everyone in the Western world seems to love the salty little orbs (Asian cuisine, it should be noted, is pretty much an olive-free zone). They taste good. They’re good for you. They seem to have once again become standard cocktail party fare — not in their 1950s black pitted form (or as green martini garnishes) but flavored with fresh herbs, thinly sliced shallots, hot peppers or any of a number of piquant and exciting dressings.

This is a health column, of course, so I would be remiss if I didn’t mention (again) that olives lower your “bad� cholesterol and increase your good cholesterol; keep your skin moist and healthy; improve your eyesight and fight cancer and heart disease. They are loaded with iron, vitamin E and fiber. They are an anti-inflammatory and can reduce the symptoms of asthma and arthritis.

But the “healthâ€� of the global market for olives is, for some reason, not good. I won’t pretend to be enough of a finance and business sophisticate to understand the reasons for this; but as the demand for olives seems to be rising, the price that olive farmers are getting is hitting catastrophic lows — so low in fact that a grove of 1,000-year-old olive trees on the island of Crete in Greece is in danger of being abandoned. The government is undertaking an inventory of the trees there, because of their historical value. (Perhaps the government will eventually just take over the grove and turn it into the Museum of Olive History).

It’s possible that the popularity of olives is what has hurt the producer prices. New growers are springing up in places such as the West Coast of the United States. But I don’t think we need to fear that olives will become like tomatoes, a large-scale food crop that is bred for its transportability and not for its flavor. As we become more savvy about olives, Americans are beginning to understand the special characteristics of many different types of olives. So go ahead, keep buying olives. But don’t just buy one type. Try some of the many varieties offered at olive bars and in bottles. Mix them in a nice ceramic bowl, dress them up with fresh herbs. Rosemary and thyme are nice; I also like to add thin strips of lemon peel, and lavender flowers.

You can also mesh your olives together in the wonderful paste called tapenade. Most tapenades call for anchovies, as does the one below. I usually leave out the fish but add some chunks of fresh parmesan cheese. I often include coarse salt in recipes; this is one where it pays off to use really good salt, such as French sel de mer (or better yet, it’s more flavorful cousin, fleur de sel). Be sure to add the salt after the ingredients have been mixed together;  olives and cheese tend to be salty on their own.

Also, this is a recipe where you should use your most flavorful olive oil, because it will have a big impact on the flavor of your dish.

                                                                                    Tapenade

                                                                         Makes about 2 cups

2 cups mixed black olives, pitted; 1 anchovy fillet, optional; 1 large garlic clove, minced; 1/2 teaspoon rosemary, finely chopped; 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil; 1 smallish chunk fresh Parmesan cheese; 1 tablespoon lemon zest; coarse salt and pepper to taste

Process in a Cuisinart to a spreadable consistency and serve with crackers, raw vegetables, almost anything.

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