The ancient process of curing olives turns the bitter fruit into a salty snack.For the type of olive you have, choose a method that works best.Different flavors and texture can be found in water curing, brining, dry curing and lye curing.It takes a long time to cure olives but you can do it yourself.The prep time in water is 7 to 10 days.
Step 1: Fresh green olives can be obtained.
Water curing gently removes oleuropein, a component in olives that gives them a bitter taste.Water alone is sufficient to cure green olives, which are immature and mild, just like green tomatoes.When green olives are left on the vine, they will turn purple or black.Water alone won't remove the bitter taste once they're fully ripe, so you'll need to choose a different curing method.
Step 2: The olives should be inspected.
Make sure they are notbruised.There are holes left by insects or birds.Before you start the brining process, rinse the olives off.
Step 3: The olives should be broken.
To get the water to reach the insides of the olives, you'll need to break or slit them.A rolling pin can be used to do this.Keep the olives intact by giving them a light smack.You want the flesh to tear, but don't rip it into several different pieces.Don't damage the pit.You can slit the olives with a knife if you're worried about their appearance.The water should be able to penetrate the olives with a sharp paring knife.
Step 4: The olives should be placed in a plastic bin and covered with cold water.
The plastic bin has a lid.All of the olives should be covered with water.You might need to weigh them down with a plate to keep them out of the water.Place the bin's cover over the olives and put it in a dark place.Make sure the container you use is food grade and won't have chemicals in it.You need to make sure the glass container isn't exposed to sunlight.
Step 5: The water should be changed out.
Change out the water at least once a day.Make sure you don't forget, sincebacteria could build up in the water and taint the olives.If you want to change the water, just strain the olives, wash the pot, and fill it with cold water.
Step 6: Continue for a week.
After a week of changing the water, taste an olive to see if the bitterness is still there.If it is, the olives are ready, but if you want them to be less bitter, wait a few more days.
Step 7: Make a brine.
The olives will be stored in this solution.It's a mixture of salt and water that will preserve the olives and give them a delicious taste.The brine should be enough for 10 pounds of olives.
Step 8: Place the olives in a container.
You can put a jar with a lid in a container of your choice.Before putting olives inside the storage container, they need to wash and dry it.There is one inch of space at the top of the container.
Step 9: The olives should be covered with brine.
To cover the olives, pour it into the container.Store the olives in the refrigerator by placing the lid on the container.If you want, you can add lemon peel, roasted garlic, or black pepper to flavor the brine.The olives can be kept in the refrigerator for up to a year.
Step 10: Get fresh olives.
Brine is a mixture of salt and water that preserves the olives and gives them a salty taste.The best method to use for ripe olives is this method.Manzanillo, mission, and kalamata olives are cured in brine.To make sure the olives are unbruised, inspect them.There are holes left by insects or birds.Before you start the brining process, rinse the olives off.You can sort the olives by size.If all the olives are the same size, the cure will be more evenly distributed.
Step 11: The olives should be cut.
To get the brine to reach the insides of the olives, you'll need to slit them.Don't cut the pit if you want to make a vertical cut down the olive.
Step 12: The olives should be placed into glass jars.
Glass is best for storing them in containers that can be sealed against the air.Leave an inch of space at the top of the jars.
Step 13: The olives should be covered with a brine.
Pickling salt can be mixed with a gallon of cold water.The brine should be poured into the jars to completely cover the olives.Store the jars in a dark place, such as the pantry or cellar.
Step 14: Wait a week.
The olives will be brined during this time.Salt and water can enter the olives if the jars are left undisturbed.
Step 15: The olives should be drained.
After a week, discard the medium brine, which will be full of bitter flavor.The olives should be kept in the same containers.
Step 16: The olives should be covered with a strong brine.
Put 1 1/2 cups of salt in a gallon of water.To completely cover the olives, pour the strong brine over them.The containers should be sealed.
Step 17: The olives should be kept for two months.
Keep them out of the sun.If you want to know if the bitterness level suits your taste, taste an olive at the end of two months.If not, store the olives for another month or two.You can repeat this process until you like the way the olives taste.
Step 18: Obtain ripe olives.
Dry-cured olives may be black.The cured olives are Manzanillo, mission, and kalamata.The olives need to be completely ripe and dark in color.To make sure the olives are unbruised, inspect them.There are holes left by insects or birds.
Step 19: The olives should be washed.
Before you start the brining process, rinse the olives off.Put them out to dry.
Step 20: The olives should be weighed.
To figure out how much they weigh, use a kitchen scale.For every two pounds of olives, you'll need a pound of pickling salt.
Step 21: A curing crate needs to be prepared.
A wooden fruit crate is six inches deep with two slats on each side.Attach the entire crate with the sides and staple or nail it to the top.Prepare a second crate like this one.If there is enough fabric to keep the salt in the crate, you can line it with old sheets or cloth napkins.
Step 22: Put the olives and salt in a container.
In a large bowl, mix 1 1/2 cups of pickling or Kosher salt for every two pounds of olives.Make sure that every olive is covered in salt.The flavor of the olives will be affected by the use of iodized table salt.Kosher salt or pickling salt is what you need.Since salt prevents mold from growing, don't skimp on it.
Step 23: The mixture should be put in a fruit crate.
Put all of the olives and salt in a crate and cover it with a layer of salt.To keep bugs out of the mixture, cover the crate with cloth.
Step 24: The crate should be placed in a covered area.
The juices from the olives will stain the surface if you lay out a tarp.The crate should be raised on blocks to promote air circulation.
Step 25: After a week, mix the olives.
The second crate should hold the contents of the first crate.Carefully pour the olives back into the original box after shaking the crate.You can see any damaged or rotten olives if you have an even coating of salt on your olive.They won't be good to eat later.White circular patches should be removed from olives.The stem of the olive is where the fungus starts.Make sure the olives are starting to cure evenly.If an olive has a plump area, you may want to wet it before packing it in salt to encourage it to start growing again.
Step 26: For a month, repeat once a week.
If you like the flavor, taste an olive after this time.Continue the dry-curing process for another couple of weeks if the olive is still bitter.Depending on the size of the olive, the olives should take about a month to six weeks to cure.They will be soft when cured.
Step 27: The mixture should be strained.
Pick the olives out of the salt and shake them out one by one.
Step 28: The olives should be dry overnight.
To dry them out, spread them on paper towels or cloth napkins.
Step 29: Store the olives by mixing them with a pound of salt and pouring them into glass jars.
Store them in the fridge for a while.Adding extra-virgin olive oil and spices to the olives will make them taste better.
Step 30: There are precautions to take when working with lye.
It can cause burns.Wear chemical-resistant gloves and safety glasses whenever you're working with lye, and don't use an olive vat made of plastic or metal.If children come near olives or the solution, do not use the lye curing method.The process can be completed in aventilated room.Turn on a fan when you open the windows.
Step 31: Clean the olives.
The method works best for large olives.It can be used for green or ripe olives.Pick out the damaged olives and sort them by size.
Step 32: The olives should be placed in a container.
Again, do not use a metal container.The container is the best.
Step 33: You can make a solution.
Take a gallon of water and put it in a container.Add 2 ounces of lye to the water.The solution will get hotter.Before you add it to the olives, cool it down to 65 to 70 F.Never add water to lye.It will cause an explosion.Use the correct measurements.The olives won't cure properly if you use too much lye.
Step 34: The olives will be covered with the lye.
The olives should be covered with the solution.Use a plate to weigh the olives so they don't get exposed to air.The container should be covered with a piece of cloth.
Step 35: The mixture should be stirred every two hours.
When you're done, just stir the mixture and recover it.After eight hours, check the olives to see if the lye has entered the pits.Pick a few of the largest olives while wearing gloves.The olives are ready if they are easy to cut to the pit.Try again in a few hours if the flesh is still pale at the center.Don't handle olives with your bare hands.If you don't have gloves that are chemical resistant, you can use a spoon to remove the olives and run them under cold water.
Step 36: If necessary, switch out the lye solution.
The pits may not be penetrated after 12 hours if the olives are very green.If this is the case, cover the olives with fresh lye solution.If the lye hasn't penetrated the pits after another 12 hours, then you should do the same.
Step 37: The olives should be soaked in water for a couple of days.
The water should be changed at least two times a day.The olives are washed and given time to come back out.The water will look lighter when you change it.
Step 38: On the fourth day, taste an olive.
Proceed to the next step if it's sweet and fat, without bitterness or soapy flavor.Continue the soaking and rinsing process until the olives taste mild and the water clears.
Step 39: The olives can be cured in a brine.
The olives should be placed in a container.Pickling salt can be put over the olives in a gallon of water.At which point they're ready to eat, let the olives cure for a week.The olives can be kept in the refrigerator for a few weeks.