How to Make Olives!

salt

🥗Healthier: sea salt

💰Cheaper: kosher salt

Sea salt can enhance flavor without added additives.

olive oil

🥗Healthier: avocado oil

💰Cheaper: canola oil

Canola oil is more affordable and has a neutral flavor.

Harvest green olives from a tree in town by pulling the branches down hard.

Harvest black olives from my own tree by individually picking them to avoid damaged ones.

Check for insect damage on the black olives, looking for holes and pressing them to check for softness.

Rinse the harvested olives thoroughly.

Perform a float test by placing the olives in a bowl of water and removing any that float.

Separate the black olives by color, keeping only the purple ones for a salt cure.

Crush each black olive with a mallet to release bitterness, or slice them open with a knife if preferred.

Prepare a pillowcase for the black olives, mixing them with coarse sea salt and hanging them to dry for a week, squeezing and mixing every few days.

Crush the green olives and transfer them into a bowl.

Boil water and add a lot of sea salt to create a brine.

Fill jars with the crushed olives, preparing for the brine.

Gather grape leaves, thyme, oregano, rosemary, and a lemon from the garden.

Use an egg to test the saltiness of the brine; it should float when the brine is salty enough.

Blanch the grape leaves in salt water for about 30 seconds.

Slice the lemon and press the slices into the edges of the jar with olives.

Add white peppercorn, rosemary, thyme, oregano, and a squeeze of lemon juice to the jars.

Layer grape leaves on top of the olives to prevent them from touching oxygen during brining.

Cooking Techniques

Equipment Needed

Spice Level:

Dietary