OT. OLIVES/PRESERVING

Hi Jeff,
well, you're almost there! You need to soak the olives in fresh water for 10 days, changing the water every day. This leaches out the acid.
Then drain water and let the olives soak again for 10 days in a 10% brine solution. Don't worry about the white mould if it forms on top, but if possible, lay a china plate on top of the olives, with a weight, if necessary, to keep the olives submerged below the mould.
Put olives in jars, fill with half vinegar and half 8-10% brine. Pour about 2mm of olive oil on top to stop mould forming. Leave for about 8 weeks.
I like to improve the flavour by putting in cloves of garlic, chillies, lemon slices, lime leaves, herbs etc in with the olives before pouring in the liquid.
What are you waiting for?!!
Gerry

Edible !!!!! Jeez Jeff, peg 'em at the dog and be done with it. There's no good coming from trying to eat the inedible :))))))))))))))

Hi Jeff!
Funny you should ask that today because I saw green Kalamatas in the local fruit and veg ($9.99/kg - is that a good price?) this morning and had just looked up recipes.

Try this ABC web link www.abc.net.au/wa/stories/s1371581.htm for a bit of extra advice

Regards,John

Jeff, add a Popeye :)))

I have two olive trees in my front yard - caught an old Itilian guy picking them the other day - but let him continue as I didn't want then to go to waste. Might try it myself next year.

Karl

Jeff

Judith's recipe is

Put 3 cuts in olives. Toss them immediately in to bucket of clean water in which there is half cup of coarse salt to every ten cups of water. Place a plate on top to keep them under the water. Change the water and salt mix every day for 10 days.
After 10 days try one and if it is not bitter it is ready to bottle. If still bitter do for a couple more days. Now bottle in 100% Olive Oil. When you have eaten all of your olives you have the most beautiful olive oil left over for cooking.

Cheers

G'day Jeff

I have 1 lonely olive tree in my back yard down here. There are quite a few growing around Tamworth on the footpath areas and if I am nice enough I can talk the folks who live near these trees into allowing me to pick some of them too. This allows me to have about 3 or 4 different types of olives to play with each year. First time I tried the pickling process I said to self "why do you bother, it's so much easier to buy them already done. Well let me tell you - I have never eaten better olives anywhere including on a tour of Italy a couple of years ago. The other forumites have got it right, soak and brine. Google and there are 1000's of slightly different methods. It is well worth the effort. Mine will be ready to pick here in a couple of weeks. I usually put garlic, peppers and other herbs /pices in the final bottles along with really good quality olive oil.

Makes me think about good wine, fresh homemade bread, an assortment of cheese and great company. Oh and a bit of some strong, bitey sausage.

Good luck and enjoy

I know it must be very difficult. I hve bouht them a few imes fom market garden places and they all have been bitter crap. I willget them from the supermarket in future (yes I do like them done PROPERLY)

I like salt cured black olives - chewy and drier. You could try.......
Wash the olives well and pat dry on a cloth.
Optional (hastens the process) - put a slit in each side of the ripe olives, with a very sharp knife.
Pack them into a plastic bin of some sort with generous lashings of salt.
(roughly, each olive should have a few mm of salt all round it).
Make a hole in the bottom of the container for the water to escape - place a collector dish there.
Leave them there for quite a few weeks - wash them and taste test as you go.
The salt draws the moisture out of them , importantly bringing those disgusting bitter components with it !! The moisture percolates down through the salt and runs out the bottom. This may not start for a couple of weeks but !

Question: Could an olive straight off the tree be the most disgusting tasting fruit in nature ? Yechtttttttt !

Jeff,

I think you may need more than one olive to make the effort worthwhile. About 5-10 kg is worth it.

Another web address for info on processing olives is:

www.hunterolives.asn.au/tableolives.htm

One further tip is when you are ready to eat the olives that are pickled, if they are too salty for your taste, place the selected olives in a glass container and fill with plain water, then put the container in the fridge for one day, this reduces the intensity of the salt in the fruit. If the olives are still too salty replace the water with clean water and put it back in the fridge for another full day.

Once you have successfully processed olives you won't go back to the bought ones.

Chris

RUN OVER THEM WITH A 4X4

sorry....!!!