Things You'll Need:
- 1 lb fresh green olives
- water
- salt
- garlic
- fresh basil
- lemon slices
- white wine vinegar
- olive oil
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Step 1
Remove the stems from the olives, and use a kitchen mallet to gently bruise each olive so that the brine will soak in. Alternatively, you can pierce each olive with a tooth pick. The bruising process help the olives absorb brine.
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Step 2
Place the olives in a large opaque bowl, cover them with a quart of cold water, cover the bowl, and place it in a cool place. Every 24 hours, change the water in the bowl, and do this for 5-7 days.
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Step 3
On the last day of water curing, drain the water off the olives. Add to the bowl the following ingredients: one sliced lemon, 6 or so fresh basil leaves, 3 smashed cloves of garlic, and a 1/2 cup white wine vinegar. B
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Step 4
Next, boil 1 quart (4 cups) of water with 1-2 tbsp of salt dissolved in it. Pour the boiling salt water over the olives, and cover the bowl.
Some people like to pour a thin film of olive oil on the surface of the brine. This is optional. -
Step 5
Let the olives cure in a cool place for 2-3 weeks. After 2 weeks, taste an olive to see if the mixture is ready, or if the olives should be in brine longer. Resist the urge to uncover the bowl and check on them too frequently!
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Step 6
When the olives have finished preserving, you can drain off the excess liquids and solids, and refrigerate the olives in a clean container. The olives will keep for about a month, though they are eaten much sooner!
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Step 7
This method can be adapted for making preserves in glass jars. Before adding the boiling brine, you can allot 1 lemon slice, one basil leaf, and one half clove of garlic to each jar. Let the jars cure for several weeks.
