curing olives..

[Greenthumb18]

Does anyone cure their own olives? I go to this fruit store that has the raw olives. Their inedible at this stage and very bitter, thats why you soak or cure them. For years i just soaked them in salted water but i wondered if curing them a different way gave better results. I even tried planting the pit a few times, never grew i must try again.

 

[Hattie the Hen]

Hi Greenthumb,

I have never done it myself but many years ago in Italy I saw some of the stages of preparing them. It seemed to me very time consuming & complicated. What I saw was the olives being prepared using lye. It makes you wonder how they originally found out that this worked.....???

There is a mass of info on the subject on the internet but this site explains some of it:

http://www.emeraldworld.net/curing.html

Good Luck, let us know how it goes !

:rose Hattie :rose

 

[HiDelight]

when I lived in Arizona we had an olive tree ..when the olives were ripe (black)I just covered them with a lot of salt ..a lot ..then added distilled water to cover ..put a plate on top and weighted it down ...for get about it ....then taste them when you remember again

not very exact but that was it ...I just used a heavy Kosher salt brine

as Hattie says you need lye to brine green olives but I would do it! I just did not know that when I lived there! just do not get it on your skin!

 

[vfem]

I just saw in a catalog I got they were selling organic olive trees right now for $19.99 each! I know you want to get one... they have a list and which do well in each climate....

Curing them, I do not know... but if you want the link to who has them, that I can do!

 

[Greenthumb18]

Hi Hattie ,
Thanks for that link, i'll be sure to look at it. I was thinking of using lye but i might just stick with salt, unless i could find a place that has lye then maybe i'll try it. Thanks !! i'll let everyone know how it goes.

HiDelight,
That is another good way to cure olives just packed with salt, some of the moisture from the olives comes out which takes the bitterness out as well. Yeah thats what i'm afraid of getting it on my skin by accident.

vfem,
Wow that doesnt sound too bad for an olive tree, i would probably have to keep them inside for the winter if i got one, I'm sure in North Carolina you could get away with it and plant them outdoors and they would do fine. Yeah if you have the link i would love to look at it.
Thanks!

 

[Hattie the Hen]

This Dry Salt Cure for olives has just been delivered into my inbox this morning so I thought I would pass it on. The writer is very reliable & the blog is interesting.

http://divinacucina.blogspot.com/2008/11/got-olives.html ****[Edited to add this link as I think the one below might alter every few days.]

http://divinacucina.blogspot.com/

:rose Hattie :rose