Have you ever eaten an olive straight from the tree? Doesn't sound like it would be so fabulously fresh and delicious, like a fresh-picked apple?
Wrong. Olives taste like (excuse the language) crap when they're fresh from the olive tree.
Olives have to brined, or cured. Sean Timberlake, one of my favorite Bay Area food bloggers, went home with a bin of fresh olives and went to the trouble of doing this at home. Basically, the fresh olives sit in water for seven days, then in a salt solution for the next 10-15 days, then store them in olive oil or whatever other flavoring agents you want. Read Sean's details of how he cured these black pearls on his blog.
New York Times Magazine's food issue
Chicken McNuggets frolic at New York City pet store
Eat your broccoli orbs! 
