Comments on: The humble olive: how to cure your own

By: Adriane

Adriane — Sat, 09 Jul 2011 03:48:15 +0000

Hi Pete, I’ve never tried freezing them and don’t see why you’d need to as they keep for ages in jars, but thanks for the tip, I’ll try it out.

By: Adriane

Adriane — Sat, 09 Jul 2011 03:45:45 +0000

Hi Mary, yes that 1 part vinegar to a 10% brine solution for storing them. Remove as required and douse with olive oil, fresh garlic, herbs, chilli – whatever you fancy, to serve. Better after a few days.

A new alternative method is to make a brine salty enough for an egg to hover (not sink or float), toss olives, garlic, bay leaves, dried chilli into sterilised jars, cover with brine (made with boiled or filtered water), press quartered lemons on top to hold olives down, and leave for six months. Easy! Then drain, keeping all olives, garlic etc and replace with fresh brine solution. Ready to eat when you are ready to pick your next crop!

By: pete

pete — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 13:54:24 +0000

The mix of vinegar and brine plus herbs of choice provides a medium for slow curing to happen. If sealed properly, it keeps very well. I just make up that vinegar and brine mix. Pop a freezer bag half full of olives, drench the olives with half a cup of the mix along with some herbs, quarter of a lemon…seal and freeze. Keeps just as well.
To use, defrost in fridge, drain the brine but keep the spices and lemon.
Toss olives plus the spices and lemon in a bowl with good olive oil..yummy!

By: Mary

Mary — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 05:59:41 +0000

It’s my first try curing olives and I think it’s ready to be bottled. You use 1 part vinegar to 4 parts brine? Is that also a 10% brine solution? Do you have any recipes for olive pesto or tapenades?

By: Adriane

Adriane — Mon, 09 May 2011 12:08:59 +0000

Pick them when they ‘give’ a little, regardless of colour. This year I ended up picking most of mine one weekend, and left the hard ones another week. Mine are a mix of black, semi-green and green.

By: Rad Reece

Rad Reece — Mon, 09 May 2011 10:56:32 +0000

Thanks for the tips, another question about 70% are green and 30% black should I wait for more of them to change or pick them now?

By: Adriane

Adriane — Mon, 09 May 2011 03:26:24 +0000

Hi Rad, a sealed is a good idea just to keep dust out. Try to keep the olives submerged. I use narrow bottles and wedge lemon quarters over the olives. This year I am trying a new, simpler technique recommended by an olive grower. Make a salt solution using filtered or boiled water that can keep an egg floating in the centre (not rise to the top or sink to the bottom). Discard the egg, toss in olives (no cutting required), whole garlic bulbs, thyme, bay leaves, chillies, rosemary, peppercorns and leave for six months or so. Drain, saving olives, herbs etc, and replace with fresh salt solution. Seal with a layer of olive oil. By the time you’re picking next year’s crop, these will be ready.

I also recommend picking before they are too soft; just a bit of ‘give’ in them, for a better texture.

Good luck!

Adriane

By: pete

pete — Sat, 07 May 2011 16:31:44 +0000

Using a sealed bucket just makes it easier to mix the olives to ensure even soaking. Just turn the bucket upside down a few times to mix the olives once a week. The taste from mass produced stuff is nowhere as good. These homemade ones have a slight crunchy bite like firm fruit.

By: rad reece

rad reece — Sat, 07 May 2011 02:28:01 +0000

im just about to pick my two trees when curing should they be in a sealed bucket?

By: pete

pete — Thu, 30 Dec 2010 12:26:04 +0000

Using a sharp knife, cut a slit from top to bottom until you hit the hard pip. This leaches out the bitters much quicker. Remove when bitterness is gone usually six weeks to two months depending on how many salt rinses. My eight year old and her fellow goblins gobbles them when marinated with good olive oil, smashed garlic and a touch of mixed italian herbs. I usually buy the big green ones from the market. Great in salads or the horses hooves tray with yummy cheeses.