Curing Olives
Lye treated green olives - This recipe courtesy U.C. Davis publication
A. Lye treatment - lye can be purchased at hardware stores. Don't use an aluminum pot or it will leach out the zinc
1. Soak 12 hours in lye solution - 4 tablespoons lye in 1 gallon cold water. (Solution should not be over 64 to 70 F before adding olives.) stir occasionally.
2. Drain, and soak 12 more hours in fresh lye solution. Cut into a large olive - lye will change the flesh to a yellow-green, penetrating to the pit.
1. If the lye has not penetrated to the pit, soak an additional 12 hours in a fresh lye solution.
B. Rinse
1. Rinse in cold water
2. Soak 6 hours in fresh, cold water.
1. Change the water and soak 6 hours in fresh cold water, repeating four times a day for 4-8 days, until there is no lye taste
C. Preservation
To keep up to 2 weeks:
1. Brine cure l. Cover with salt brine - 6 tablespoons salt per gallon of water. Let stand 2 days. Refrigerate and use within 2 weeks.
To keep longer than 2 weeks:
2. Brine cure ll.
1. Step 1. Cover with salt brine - 13 tablespoons salt per gallon of water. Store 1 week.
2. Step 2. Cover with fresh salt brine - 1 pound or 1 2/3 cups salt per gallon of water. Store in a cool place, preferably a refrigerator. Use within 2-4 months. Before eating, soak olives overnight to remove excess salt. Use with 3 days after soaking.
3. Pickling. Prepare a vinegar-water solution - equal parts vinegar and water. Add salt to the vinegar-water solution: ½ to 1-cup salt per gallon - do not omit salt as it prevents bacterial growth. Add garlic an spices if desired. Cover tightly and store at room temperature. Good for 4-5 months at room temperature or 10-12 months in the refrigerator.
Green Olives (and half ripe ones)
Any variety - Collect olives by hand in a clean plastic bucket to
prevent bruising.
Day O Wash in running water. Add boiling hot water and allow to soak for 24 hours.
Day 1 Pour of cold water add more boiling water
Day 2 Pour of cold water add more boiling water
Day 3 Pour of cold water. Place the olives into clean jars. add a mixture of brine and white (or any other type) vinegar in the proportions of 3 to 1 by volume
Brine = 10%w/v salt in water that is 100grams/litre of final solution
Fill jars well and add a layer of olive oil.
We eat the olives by both methods after one week. When the olives are at
their tastiest they have all gone!
Oil Cured Greek Style Olives
This is one of several recipes from U.C. Davis publication 2758 - Home Pickling of Olives. Go to "Books" for ordering information
It is usually best to prepare Greek-style olives from mature olives that are dark-red to black. Mission olives are commonly used, but any variety will do. Use smaller olives because larger ones get soft. The olives will become shriveled since they are salt cured. These olives are salty and slightly bitter, and you may have to acquire a taste for them.
How To Prepare
Cover the bottom of a wooden box with burlap. Weigh out 1 pound of salt for each 2 pounds of olives. Mix the salt and olives well in the box to prevent mold from developing. Pour a layer of salt over the olives to a depth of 1 inch. CAUTION Place the box outdoors so that the brine formed will not ruin the floor.
After 1 week, pour olives and salt into another box, then back into the first box to mix them. Repeat this mixing process once every 3 days until the olives are cured and edible. This usually takes about 30 to 35 days.
Sift out most of the salt through a screen. Dip the olives momentarily in boiling water. Drain. Let them dry overnight.
Add 1 pound of salt to each 10 pounds of olives. Mix and put the olives in a cool place. Use within 1 month, or store in a refrigerator or home freezer until used. Just before using, coat the olives with olive oil. Do not use oil if you plan to use the olives for cooking. To coat with oil, put them in a large pan or box and sprinkle a little olive oil over them. Work the olives with your hands to coat them with oil. This type of olive is useful for flavoring stews, tamale pie, spaghetti, and as a relish eaten out-of-hand.
Black Olives
Day O Wash in running water. Place in flat trays (large surface area)
or plastic ice cream containers. Add boiling hot water and allow to soak for 24 hours.
Day 1 Remove cold water and add dry salt
day 2 Onwards - mix well and keep adding dry salt
After about a week water comes out of the olives - pour off
Total salt = about 15% OF THE OLIVE WEIGHT IE 150 To 200 grams
Test - wash salt off olive and taste. When the salt has penetrate into the olive, wash off salt and add olive oil.
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