Re: Curing olives

Funny, I'm doing it for the first time this year, based on the "recipe" sent me by the family we rented a flat from in the French countryside last fall.  Here's their recipe:


Gather olives (in Spain the women hit the trees with brooms though you may develop your own technique perhaps better fitted for Southern California)
2)                  Prick the olives roughly with a fork;
3)                  Place them in a recipient with water for 1 to 2 weeks, regularly changing the water.
4)                  Drain and then place in a plastic bag that has been poked with holes with coarse salt for draining (the salt of course contributes to this draining process). Here we hang the bag from a tree branch in the garden (though of course you may adopt as you see fit for example have a friend stand out somewhere in the garden and hold it high above their head)-- As for the quantity of salt "salt generously" whatever that means;
5)                  Leave suspended outside for around a month and from time to time shake the bag a bit for drainage;
6)                  When the olives have lost their bitterness, rinse them again in water;
7)                  Place them in a glass jar and preserve in olive oil. They may be seasoned by placing rosemary and garlic cloves, and also an orange rind at the bottom of the jar (the latter optional) ;
8)                  Finally, Helene’s last recommendation is to soak them in water with vinegar (three volumes of vinegar for onr of water) for one day;
9)                  After they have been in the glass bottle with oil, wait a few days before eating;
10)               After that they can't be in principle preserved in that way forever...
 
As to your question regarding dark or light, I don't think that matters too much providing they are the right size though we generally wait Until they ripen on the tree  to a dark color.

 

After many years of trying different recipes provided by our friends on our annual trips to Greece, this has proven to be the one that works the best for the small olives we have in our garden.


And as a postscript, he wrote:

Concerning the order of things regarding olives, yes the olives should be placed in the vinegar solution for one day at the last stage in the preparation/curing process before putting them in oil for conservation and to be perfumed with the aromatic plants.
 
Over the years, we have tried many different solutions provided by our Greek friends, none of which worked for the type of olives we have in our garden, except this last one which was also the simplest.
 
If you use the broom technique of harvesting, do not forget to wear a black headscarf, if possible inviting friends or neighbors over to help you similarly attired. This work may be accompanied the traditional discordant elegiac songs Spanish widows sing during this first step.
 
As for hanging them out on a tree, as I mentioned this can also be delegated to a volunteer willing to serve as a scarecrow for a month or so or as an alternative to doing household chores like taking out the garbage or doing dishes.
 
I am using one of the oversized Zip lock bags (its a couple gallon sized), filled it with the olives and salt, then hung it on a hook on the patio overhang with a bucket beneath then used a kebab skewer to poke holes in the bottom of the bag.  I tried poking holes in the bag first, but its hard to figure out where the low points are that way...

Have FUN!

Mam

On Nov 6, 2010, at 8:02 AM, Ben Wiswall wrote:

Hi All,
Our allegedly fruitless olives have a bumper crop this year.  
Does anyone know a simple kitchen recipe for curing olives?  As these were not bred for flavor, I don't know if they'll be any good, but I'd like to test them.

Thanks for any advice!

-Ben Armentrout-Wiswall
Simi Valley, Ventura County
southern California

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