I've just received the sad news today from customs that Raw Pleasure is no longer able to bring in the Raw Organic Peruvian olives or the herbed, or the spiced. However... moroccan, Botilla, Greek, Kalamata will still be here! Yaaaaaaaaaay! My mouth is watering... is yours?

xoxoxox

Sad to hear about Customs but yay for all of the other tasty olives!! 

lol, caustic soda is a very strong chemical used in the drainage system and toilets when there is need to clear drain...!!
 
Its also used in minimal quantities in Food Industry... when i heard that conventional Olives at shops use this stuff i couldnt believe it...

and yes, caustic soda is a form of salt or mineral... its name sodium hydroxide...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sodium_hydroxide

IE...yes the olives are organic at warwick farm markets and the processed ones are raw but soaked in the salt brine with added herbs. 

I was talking to another stall holder at the markets a few years ago that sold the best olive oil and although they weren't registered as organic they told me that most olives you buy in oz will be organic because we don't have to spray for the bugs that they have in overseas olive farms.  Not sure how true this is but they were genuine people and another fruit seller that lived near them confirmed a few things they told me.

I tried a ripe black fresh olive last night without 'curing' and it tasted like poison! I'm off olives now!

lol, umm I could! There is a freshwater creek (oh sorry oficially a river!) near where I live. Even better at my folks' place they live on an isolated snowmelt river that mainly runs through national park. It seems like a lot of effort to go through though when I could eat something that tastes yummy off the plant! I only bought about 10 too so not worried about wastage. I could try for others though, a raw food 'science' experiment!