Size Matters
In the photo at left, two varieties of olives are compared. The smaller variety is Sikitika and the olive on right is Koroneiki. Sikitita (Spain) or Chiquitika (USA) is a new olive (Olea europaea L.) cultivar obtained in a crossbreeding program carried out in 1991 between cv. Picual and cv. Arbequina. Sikitita is a high density oriented cultivar developed at the University of Córdoba (Spain) by Dr. Luis Rallo. The larger fruit is Koroneiki, a common Greek variety. Both provide excellent oil and can be cured for table olives. Due to size the cured olives are generally for home use.
At left are Frantoio olives, an staple Italian variety, harvested from Don Mueller’s olive grove near Marianna, FL. Note the size of the olive, the Frantoio is an excellent oil olive as well as one suitable for table. Don Mueller’s grove features over 200 20+ year old olive trees. Other table/oil varieties in Don’s grove include Leccino, Manzanilla and Mission.
Size Matters
In the photo at left, two varieties of olives are compared. The smaller variety is Sikitika and the olive on right is Manzanilla.
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