Olive Varieties To Grow In Melbourne

Selecting the right olive varieties to grow in Melbourne and other surrounding parts of Victoria is important.  There are different types of olive trees for different areas and it is crucial that you select the right kind of tree before deciding to grow your own olives.

Olives are grown for several different purposes. They are wonderful as a long lived ornamental and require little maintenance.  Certain varieties are used both commercially and as a hobby to produce olive oil, while other types, table olives, are grown in order to harvest and produce  larger olives which are then  pickled and used for eating.

Straight off the tree, the olive fruit is bitter,  harsh to the palate and needs curing and pickling before it is edible. For details on how you can pickle your own olives please click this link for my articles on pickling olives. “How To Pickle Your Own Olives” or  “Growing And Pickling Your Own Olives In Melbourne.” Growing your own olive trees at home is a great way to ensure a regular supply of olives. Olives are easy to grow and usually do not suffer the same kinds of disease and pest problems as do other fruit trees. Not even birds attack olive trees.

Some of the main varieties of olive trees you can find growing in and around Melbourne are as follows:

Manzanillo - Originating in the Southern regions of Spain, this plump egg shaped fruit, quite large and small seeded. Excellent eating quality and grows well around Melbourne and other cooler/temperate climate areas. Heavy producer of fruit, this olive pickles and preserves very well.

Verdale Very large, oval fruit which can weigh in at anywhere up to 10 grams. Originating in France, the Verdale quickly became a main export to the rest of the world because of its fine pickling qualities and great taste. These can be pickled green, black or anywhere in between. The are also great when pitted and stuffed with riccotta cheese or capsicum.

Frantoio- Perhaps the sweetest and heaviest tasting of all olives,  this variety is popular for  the superb quality of olive oil it produces. One of the most popular of all Italian oil producing olives, it has grown in popularity and spread around the world as a fine base for quality olive oils.

Paragon - Similar to the Frantoio, but with a nutty flavour.

Kalamata - Typically a popular Greek olive, this variety is generally allowed to ripen to black before harvesting and pickling. A  large, elongated fruit with a subtle flavour and firm texture.  This olive is nearly always used as a table olive.

Jumbo (Mammoth) – This variety is extremely sought after in Melbourne because of its huge size. One olive can weigh anywhere up to 18 grams! Although popular, it does not tolerate cooler climates well and can have difficulty fruiting in and around Melbourne or in climates with similar weather patterns.

Sevillano (Spanish Queen) – Second only in size to the Jumbo, the Sevillano can weigh up to 12gms.   A great flesh to pit ratio means that you get more fruit than seed. . Oval to round in shape, this type of olive is used only as a table olive because of its high water, low oil content.

Interesting Facts About Olives

• An olive tree can live from anywhere between 800 to 1,500 years. Carbon dating on an olive tree found in Portugal showed it to be over 2,000 years old!

• The smaller the olive, the higher the oil content. Smaller olives are generally used in oil production, but also taste best when dried or pickled.

• Olives originated in Africa and later spread to the Mediterranean and are today a staple in both diet and industry in many Southern European and Middle Eastern countries.

• Olives have been mentioned in famous writings worldwide. From Homer’s”Odysseus”, in both the Old Testament and the New Testament, the Koran, and Roman poet and scholar Horace, wrote of its importance in his own diet.

• It is purported that olive cultivation was the key source of wealth to the Minoan Civilization, more than 4,000 years ago.

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