Curing olives

From Burden's Landing

History

March 2020

Was at Lagunitas Groceries & Deli with EJ picking up some firewood for camping and noticed an olive tree full of beautiful, ripe black olives. Asked the proprietor if it would be okay for us to pick some olives, and he said yes. Grabbed a handful, sorted them carefully (was still scarred from my previous experiences with olive flies), and cured them in salt on March 7. Tasted one on March 21. Definitely still bitter, but edible and tasty. Also very dried out, and not a great flesh-to-seed ratio. Decided to marinate them in olive oil Noona bought from Spain, zest from EJ's lemons, and rosemary from EJ's garden. Yay, foraging!

October 2009

I bought some ripe (black) Ascolana Olives from Knoll Farms on October 17, 2009. The farmer said that when the olives are ripe, you cure it by salting them in a colander and stirring them for two or three weeks until the bitterness is gone, then keeping them in a good olive oil for another week. When the olives are green, you brine them for several months.

After a day, I noticed several small larvae. I did some research and discovered that they were olive flies. Further research told me that I should throw those olives out. I went through the olives and threw out any that were open or had damage. I should have selected my olives more carefully.

References