H69.42.28

• spanish

Olive press. Condition: repaired. Pressboard: 33" x 14 1/2". History: Locality: San Juan Capistrano. (From History Information Station.) Object: Olive press used in Mexico in the 19th century. It is identical to the one used at Mission San Juan. History: Olive oil was an indispensable commodity at the California missions. As butter was not made, olive was used extensively for cooking. It was also Used as a medicine, as lamp oil, and for lubricating machinery. Before the construction of mills and presses at the missions, freshly harvested whole olives were dried and then laboriously beaten to a pulp by women using mortars and pestles. The pulp was hung up in a fine cloth, from which the oil dripped slowly. A Pressing Problem The first olive orchard in California was at Mission San Diego de Alcala. It was planted from seeds imported from Spain and carried to the mission in 1769 by Fr. Junipero Serra. Cuttings from these trees were carried to other missions, and it was not long before there were productive orchards at almost all of the 21 missions. For more than 100 years after its introduction into California, the olive was grown primarily for its oil. By 1885 California growers were producing an oil equal in quality to the best imported oils; however, they were unable to compete with less expensive European olive and vegetable oils. An attempt was made to produce pickled ripe olives, but primitive curing methods limited the commercial success of this venture. In 1900 the University of California at Berkeley began research into the curing of olives that led to the development of canned ripe olives. Today the Mission variety olive is used in the production of black-ripe and green-ripe olives. Undersized and damaged fruits are still processed for their oil.

Used: San Juan Capistrano Mission