Preparation of Olives After Harvest

Friends will be impressed when you tell them you brined your own olives.

Olive trees are valued for their deep shade in hot, arid climates, but they are often criticized for being too messy when they drop ripe olives all over sidewalks and driveways. You can reduce the mess -- and the cost of store-bought olives -- by harvesting, brining and storing the olives from your tree.

Preparing Olives for Brining

Harvest your olives, picking and sorting either green (unripe) or ripe olives. Place them in a large bucket and wash them well in cool water. You want to remove any bird droppings and pick out any olives that are damaged or spoiling.

The Lye Process

Olives need to be soaked in lye, a process that removes the bitter taste and softens them. Place the olives in large jars or crocks. It's a good idea to wear rubber gloves while you mix a lye solution, using 3 tablespoons of flake lye to 1 gallon of water. Put a cover on each jar or crock, but do not close it tightly. You can also place cheesecloth over the jars instead. Let sit for three days, stirring occasionally. Use a wooden, not metal, spoon for stirring. To check whether the bitterness has been eliminated, remove one olive, cut it open and rinse it thoroughly. Taste the olive to see if it is bitter. If so, continue to let the olives soak in the lye solution for two more days. Once a test olive tastes good, pour out the lye solution and rinse the olives in water two or three times a day over a period of a week.

The Brining Process

After soaking the olives in lye, you are ready to start the brining process, which involves soaking the olives in saltwater. The process isn't complicated, but it involves some time and patience. Mix 4 ounces of pickling salt to 1 gallon of water. Pour this over the olives and let it sit for three days, stirring once a day. Pour off the brining solution and mix a new one with 8 ounces of pickling salt to 1 gallon of water. Pour this over the olives and let sit for five to six days, stirring every day. Then pour off the brine.

Storing Your Olives

Olives can be stored in jars for about six months in a cool, dark place. To prepare for storage, pack the olives in wide-mouth quart canning jars. Mix another salt solution, this one with 14 ounces of salt to 1 gallon of water. If you want to spice up the olives, add garlic cloves, pickling spices or dill to each jar. Pour the solution over the olives and tightly screw on the lids. The olives are now ready for storage.

Serving the Olives

Before eating the olives, you will need to remove them from the brine and soak them in cold water for 24 hours. Store the olives in the refrigerator after you have soaked them, and use them within a week or two.

References

• "Fruits of the Desert"; by Sandal English;1981