Preserving Raw Olives
Preserving raw olives is easy!
Every year I attempt a new recipe for preserving raw olives – that is olives picked straight from the tree. If you’ve ever tasted a freshly picked raw olive you’ll understand just how awful they are. A bit bitter would be a huge understatement. In my ignorance I excitedly picked a fresh olive off one of our trees when we took ownership of the finca. BAD IDEA. The taste never really leaves – I can still taste it, thinking about it, four years on!
I’ve tried quite a few methods to remove the bitterness from olives with mixed success. Commercially caustic soda is used to cure olives and this can be done at home. I’m a bit too chicken to be eating food I’ve soaked in caustic soda for a few days so have always favoured more traditional methods.
Purple / Black Raw Olives for Preserving
Last year I decided to give olive curing one more shot but that if it didn’t work I wouldn’t waste my time again ( I have failed many times to make good olives). I found a recipe for a Lebanese method of curing them by Cassie Maroun-Paladin
Now I had planned to share this fantastic wonder recipe for curing raw olives BUT I’ve found out big D lent the book to some friends so I don’t have the full details at the mo. However its not too late to start as the first bits easy:
Home-Curing Raw Olives – Step 1:
- Pick your purple – black olives
- Slit each olive down the side with a sharp knife
- Cover olives with plenty of fresh water
- Replace the water every day for 17 days
- This is where it gets hazy but allow about another week of soaking in brine and vinegar but details to follow… Full recipe for curing raw olives updated here.
Well I’m on day 11, so I’ve got 6 days to get the book back and continue the process. I know its nothing complicated but need to get the ration of vinegar and brine right. I’ll keep you posted.
If you have olive trees I really urge you to have a go at curing them yourself – if you can find a method you like you will be rewarded with the nicest olives imaginable. As a bonus, my olives are preserved in our own olive oil in jars with herbs and spices from the campo or our veggie patch. This gives you lovely olivey, spicey oil for salad dressings when you’ve eaten all your home-cured olives.
I know its daft not to give the full recipe but the olives are getting on a bit now so need to pick some and start asap!
Get curing your raw olives!
To be continued…
If you’d like to buy raw olives try the all that’s olive website.
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I’m a bad Italian; I’ve never liked olives. I do like olive oil though!
Dennis the Vizsla’s last blog post..Wordless Wednesday: No Implicit Hierarchy
Good dog Dennis – olive oil keeps your coat all shiny.
Probably best to leave the olives to the people. Our doggy girls never know when to stop once they get started on the olives, particularly when they’re fermenting on the ground.
Thankfully our dog doesn’t like olives, although he is still searching for figs that might be lying about!
I’m also trying to do a few olives – only a few because I let the rest of the carrier bag go rotten by mistake. We have very few olive trees, so one carrier bagful was all we got.
They’re definitely worth doing – nice to know you’re eating chemical free olives and a lot cheaper too!
I have that recipe if you don’t get your book back!
I may be in touch – hopefully Big D is going to retrieve it today but if not… I need to move onto step two tomorrow!
That will be fine – have it beside me!
Please let me know what to do next Suechef! If its easier email thegardener@catalangarden.com
Ta very much!
Sorry, late on this morning!
OK for the black olives following on from the prep stage above. For 2kg raw black olives.
Soak in salt water for 3 more days, tested with the egg floating method to check for enough salt – says 280g in the recipe but no amount of water. Stir occasionally. Drain.
Soak for 3 days in 1 part vinegar (125ml white wine vinegar) to 2 parts water, olives covered all the time. Drain and add:
few cloves garlic,
15ml (tbsp) pickling spice
few hot chillies
few sprigs thyme
Pack into sterile jars and cover with olive oil. Seal and leave for at least 4 weeks.
Have fun! email me if not clear.
You are a lifesaver!
Many Thanks – makes me realise how good the internet can be!
No problem – I now have your feed through to my google! I collect cookery books (about 5000 to date but I haven’t counted recently) so can usually find something. We have recently imported a 180yr old olive tree to our UK garden for the coldest winter for years so hope it survives – makes a wonderful centrepiece but is currently wrapped up in a parachute of fleece to be safe! A story in itself!
Good luck with the olive tree – we get some insane weather and they cope fine.
I’m so jealous of the 5000 cookery books and feeling like my collection is a tad pathetic in comparison!
[...] be doing green olives so see you in the autumn for that! Once again a big thank-you to Suechef as my book still hasn’t been [...]
Hi, can you please send us a copy of your recipe for preserving olives,we have 4 mature olive trees with plenty of fruit, I looked this morning. We are confused with green and black olives,ours are green at present but will turn black next month. To date we have been nervous to try preserving up to now, but feel this may be the year to give it a go.
We have lived in the Huelva region of Andalucia for a little over 3 years and think the way of life is fantastico.
Best regards Terry and June.
Hi Terry and June,
You can find the recipe here. http://www.catalangarden.com/preserving-raw-olives-is-easy-when-you-have-the-recipe.html
Good luck with it.