Everything happens at once in the fall/winter. You can slice each berry top to bottom without cutting into the pip then soak in tap water for 14 days, change it daily (check out this method for curing olives here), or as I tried this year, just leave them whole, soak in water, change daily for 4 weeks. Try the olives at the 5 week mark, and if still a little bland, allow another week in the brine. Picking in Spring also sounds like a good idea. They were more than happy to not let them hit the ground, so in about a half hour we had 10-ish pounds and they are sitting in cloth grocery bags with salt right now. I don’t know what variety they are. Required fields are marked *. Gavin is a honest, forthright pod aster with a genuine interest in helping others get green. Pour a 1cm layer of olive oil to cover the olives. I generally put my finished olives in the fridge, because I make so many and they take a year or so to eat them all. https://www.burkesbackyard.com.au/.../food-health-nutrition/curing-olives The lactic fermentation of olives converts the sugars or carbohydrates of the fruit into lactic acid. You boil them for a moment before soaking in olive oil later, though. I think I used a bottle of DRANO to do the trick…. I like that little hit of bitterness. Small black olives are recommended for this method. Experiment with different small batches, keep notes. Kimberley, Gavin has a great passion for living this greener lifestyle that motivates others to do the same. Could be the variety of olive you are using. Get smart with the Thesis WordPress Theme from DIYthemes. This is a great podcast if you want to improve your life in so many aspects and become a more sustainable person. of round, marble-sized olives. They are cured in salt. The earliest they might be ready is a month, but they should definitely be cured by six weeks. The length of time depends on taste preference. If not, soak for another week and try again. A faculty member in my dept. I did some lye-cured olives back in my college days and the end product was delicious. I think our growing conditions are not hugely different from Sacramento. Fingers crossed! But there’s no reason not to buy the food grade stuff if you can afford it. I love the soothing voice, the good pace, and it contains lots of useful information. The method traditionally used to check the brine is to place a fresh egg in the water and dissolve salt until it floats. More recipes for fresh olives I’ve only ever stored them salted in a cool place. But what about frost damage to the fruit if you wait until Feb. – Mar.? And every autumn since 2004, I’ve gathered green olives from a park near my house to make batches of brine-cured olives and lye-cured olives. How long do I have to pick them before they all fall off the tree? Will this method be ok for Kalamata olives that still have a hint of green to them? Just look for 100 percent lye on the label. I LOVE olives so it’s really exciting to be having a go at brining my own. (Literally. My house would become an olive processing plant! I've crowed about Gavin's podcast before but I just have to recommend it once again - I love that he shares his learning as well as his successes - it helps the rest of us try try try again! I can’t wait to see what they are like in a couple if years. Do you cure your own olives? Take them out of the salt when they are “sweet” enough for you, or after six weeks, whichever comes first. Down to earth, entertaining and inspirational. Place your drained and rinsed olives into the jars, allowing about 4cm head room. In fact, I don’t think anyone ought to pick black olives before February. I'v… You'll laugh, smile, share in his concerns and along the way you'll pick up some great tips on living a simple life. For me, I’ll stick with the drain cleaner. My folks leave theirs in the pantry, but I put mine in the fridge and let them come to room temp, just like cheese, before eating. They do take longer but the wait is worth it. Weather doesn’t matter, and some sources say the cure is even better of everything gets rained on once in a while. Gavin is a great down to earth, tell it like it is aussie with a passion for sustainability and growing food and making cheese.