Home cured olives.

[Phteven]

For the record...... home made olives are the best thing ever and so easy.
You just need to soak them in brine for a while. You change the water about once a week for the first 4 weeks then once they taste right put them in jars with more brine, some vinegar and a layer of olive oil. Adding some herbs when you bottle them is optional.
There are probably a billion recipes on the internet.
If you have a neighbour with an olive tree or you can plant your own or you see them at the market you totally need to make your own.
I'm addicted. They taste so much better than the ones from the shops.

[~TT40~]

my dad is in the process of his first batch. should be ready for me to try when I see him on tge weekend =)
what I want to know is who sussed out the process to make them eatable? I tasted the tiniest but of one not cured and omg was bitter!!

[Phteven]

It must have been an accident.
We had some little green ones that looked like grapes - you shoulda seen the face on the boys when they bit into them lol.

[Rouge]

I found fruit on my olive tree this year. For the first time in 11 years. How often do they fruit?

[little_O]

I love them when mum cures them in salt and sun dries them.


Sigh

I have been eating a crazy amount of olives this pregnancy.

Rouge, that's odd it's only just started. Do you know what variety?

[Rouge]

I don't know that it's just started. I think it might be more I'm looking at the tree at the wrong time.

[little_O]

I'm pretty sure they only fruit once a year. Well ours always have.

[Phteven]

I think they fruit once a year. Ready for harvest in autumn/early winter.

[JLeigh29]

The place we are renting has a big olive tree out the front, so we've tried curing our own this year. They seem to be very forgiving, especially when DH forgot to change the brine for about 5 weeks! I made DH do the taste testing as they are seriously the most bitter thing ever invented! Our first batch (black olives) was ready a while ago, but is still very salty. We keep rebottling them in less salty brine, but we want to make sure they have enough salt to keep well. What ratio of water to salt do others use? We also wanted to bottle some in flavoured oil....any ideas or recipes?

Green ones will be ready next. Looking forward to them, as I really don't like black ones.

[Phteven]

I love the black ones. When they are ready you can bottle them in plain water to reduce the saltiness and if they are still too salty change it again. Put a little red wine vinegar in the water (about 25%) and they will be crunchier and put a little olive oil to create a seal. You can keep them in full on brine until you want to eat them and then use fresh water one jar at a time.

The jar I'm munching through at the moment has thyme, oregano and dried chilli flakes as well as oil and vinegar. So yummy.
I think bay leaves and fresh chillies would be good too.

[jellybean88]

Yumm one if my fond memories living in SA my dad driving around the valley with a tarp knocking down olives and having buckets of olives yumm

[willow5]

Zazou you're making my mouth water for black olives yummmmmm.....

[JLeigh29]

How long will they keep in just plain water?

Love the idea of herb- infused olives...not massively into chilli, but everyone says chilli rocks!

[Phteven]

They're pretty salty after a couple of months in brine and in a full jar there will be as much olive as water so they will still keep well and the vinegar is also a preservative.