Wrinkled Black Olives

Unlike olives that shrivel up after curing, these are fully mature olives that are not picked... they ripen and shrivel on the tree. Nets are placed under the trees and the olives fall off when fully ripe. The wrinkling is their natural state. They are the only olives that can be eaten directly from the tree, but are dry cured for commercial use. Most throubes come from the Greek island of Thassos. Favorite ways to serve them are with Patatosalata (Greek potato salad), or drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with oregano. They are meaty with a strong olive taste, and are not used to make olive oil.