Olive oil is made by gently crushing and pressing olives until the oil is separated from the fruit pulp. The flesh of a ripe olive is about half oil. When the skin of a just ripe olive is broken, the first oil to flow from the flesh is called “virgin” or “sublime” or “first expressed”
Olive trees Olives are a good choice for the small garden in regions where summers are long, hot, and dry. Olives are attractive for their billowing habit, gray-green foliage, and gnarled branching patterns. Olives are easy to care for. They require little water once established, little pruning, and have few serious pests or diseases. All
Yellow pear tomato is sweet and meaty, an heirloom from the 17th century. Most orange tomatoes are sweeter and fruitier flavored than red tomatoes. Most yellow tomatoes are less tangy than red tomatoes. Because they have less bite orange and yellow tomatoes are good served at breakfast and in fresh mixed vegetable salads. Many but
The season for making orange marmalade is winter through early spring. Orange marmalade is a jam like preserve that contains chunks of orange and slivers of orange rind. Preserves, conserves, jam, and marmalades are made when chunks of fruit are simmered and thickened with sugar and then stored in airtight containers. The first marmalades were
Navel orange There are three types of oranges: sweet oranges, bitter oranges, and mandarins. Sweet oranges are mostly commonly used for eating fresh and for juice. Bitter or sour oranges are used for making marmalade and orange-flavored liqueurs, and mandarins–which are also called tangerines and are not really oranges but a separate citrus—are used for
Oriental-type eggplants are primarily slim, tapered or pointed elongated fruits that may remind you somewhat of a skinny, smooth and shiny cucumber. Oriental eggplants are mild, tender-skinned, creamy-fleshed, and quick-cooking eggplants. The Oriental-type eggplants can be divided into two groups: Chinese eggplants and Japanese eggplants. Chinese eggplants are lavender-blushed white, amethyst, and red-violet colored. They
Ichneumon Wasp Parasitic wasps are small, even minute mini-wasps that control pests including many garden pests. Parasitic wasps kill their hosts by feeding on them. Pests controlled by parasitic wasps include aphids, beetles, caterpillars, flies, sawflies, and scale. Parasitic wasps range in size from 1/100 to ¾ inch long. They vary in shape and coloration
Parsley has a clean, fresh, peppery flavor that makes it a good match for all savory dishes. Add chopped parsley to sliced tomatoes and toss with a vinaigrette. Add chopped parsley to scrambled eggs or an omelet. Add chopped parsley with butter or olive oil to make a sauce for boiled new potatoes, carrots, and
Slice a fresh passion fruit in half, place it in the palm of your hand and enjoy its juicy, slightly musky sweet-tart tropical flavor with a spoon. Both the fruit and juice of the passion fruit combines well with other fruits and juices, especially tropical fruits. In addition to being eaten fresh, passion fruit can
Gently wipe fruit clean with a damp cloth and then store in the vegetable crisper of the refrigerator. Patty pan or scallop squash is a small, saucer-shaped warm-season squash that usually grows to no more than 3 to 4 inches in diameter. Patty pan squashes look something like a toy top. They can be white
