It’s a shame to take the olive for granted when there’s so much variety! I love olives. Green, black, stuffed, unstuffed, in salads, or plain. I only thought about the history of this fabulous fruit after a small gathering at a friend’s home not long ago. My friend, the historian, told us that the reason we use olive branches as a sign of peace is that it takes so long to grow olive trees that can bear edible fruit. For a couple of varieties (Arbequina and Koroneiki) it takes 3 years but for most varieties it takes 5-12 years! The tree itself has been around for millions of years. Ancient written records left in tombs and on stone tablets suggest that we’ve been harvesting olives for about 7,000 years – that’s before the Bronze Age! Today, there are enough varieties of olives to match just about any palate—even those that…