Olives
Olea Europaea
They are technically a fruit, but in the culinary world and in general, they are treated as vegetables in the way the other fruit, tomatoes, are treated as vegetables.
Olea Europaea
They are technically a fruit, but in the culinary world and in general, they are treated as vegetables in the way the other fruit, tomatoes, are treated as vegetables.
There are five main methods of fermenting/pickling/curing olives:
1. Wash olives well.
2. Make slits in the flesh.
Brine recipe:
Water
Salt (non-iodized)
1 raw egg
Recipe
Warm some water (more than you think you’ll need) slightly in a pan and add a handful of salt, stirring to dissolve. Then, add the raw egg still inside the shell.
The egg is your brine barometer – if it floats, your water is sufficiently salty. If it sinks, add more salt.
Once your egg is floating jauntily, it’s time to jar up.
Pack your olives into a clean jar (squish them down a bit, the tighter the better) and pour the cooled brine over them until the olives are submerged.
What to do for floating olives:
Like any brine ferment, your olives need to be submerged in the brine. To help them submerge, you can add a piece of ice cream container plastic cut to size, or a Ziploc bag of water if you wish, or fermenting weights if you have them. If none of these options are practical just pack the olives in tightly so their ability to float is minimized, fill the brine to the very top of the jar, and seal.
Once they’re in the jar:
Keep your olives somewhere dark, but not so remote that you don’t remember to agitate them every few days to a week. The cupboard is fine. Most recipes recommend changing the brine every 3 to 5 days or once a week, for 5 to 6 weeks which is about the length of time it takes, depending on your pallet or desired flavoring.
How long to brine:
It depends on the size of your olives, their ripeness, and your desired saltiness. Most recipes state 5 to 6 weeks but you can cure them for longer.
Taste them every few weeks, and get to know the taste of brining olives – you’ll soon get a feel for when they’re as you like them.
After the brine:
Once your olives are ready and you’ve drained the brine off them (which will now be very bitter) – it’s time to decide how you want your cured olives to be used.
At this point you can store your olives in olive oil, in vinegar, or in newly-made brine in the cupboard for up to 6 months. Adding herbs or spices at this point to season for desired flavor is good. You can also smoke them. Or just eat them.
- Water Curing
- Brine Curing
- Oil Curing (Olive Oil)
- Dry Curing
- Lye Curing (Sodium Chloride – food grade)
1. Wash olives well.
2. Make slits in the flesh.
Brine recipe:
Water
Salt (non-iodized)
1 raw egg
Recipe
Warm some water (more than you think you’ll need) slightly in a pan and add a handful of salt, stirring to dissolve. Then, add the raw egg still inside the shell.
The egg is your brine barometer – if it floats, your water is sufficiently salty. If it sinks, add more salt.
Once your egg is floating jauntily, it’s time to jar up.
Pack your olives into a clean jar (squish them down a bit, the tighter the better) and pour the cooled brine over them until the olives are submerged.
What to do for floating olives:
Like any brine ferment, your olives need to be submerged in the brine. To help them submerge, you can add a piece of ice cream container plastic cut to size, or a Ziploc bag of water if you wish, or fermenting weights if you have them. If none of these options are practical just pack the olives in tightly so their ability to float is minimized, fill the brine to the very top of the jar, and seal.
Once they’re in the jar:
Keep your olives somewhere dark, but not so remote that you don’t remember to agitate them every few days to a week. The cupboard is fine. Most recipes recommend changing the brine every 3 to 5 days or once a week, for 5 to 6 weeks which is about the length of time it takes, depending on your pallet or desired flavoring.
How long to brine:
It depends on the size of your olives, their ripeness, and your desired saltiness. Most recipes state 5 to 6 weeks but you can cure them for longer.
Taste them every few weeks, and get to know the taste of brining olives – you’ll soon get a feel for when they’re as you like them.
After the brine:
Once your olives are ready and you’ve drained the brine off them (which will now be very bitter) – it’s time to decide how you want your cured olives to be used.
At this point you can store your olives in olive oil, in vinegar, or in newly-made brine in the cupboard for up to 6 months. Adding herbs or spices at this point to season for desired flavor is good. You can also smoke them. Or just eat them.
  |  |
The jar on the left are the olives cured in brine.
The Recipe: Limitations; Standardization; Instructional; Cooking with Judgement
Most of the recipes I found recommended the skin to be broken in some way without damaging the pit. Without the slits etc. the olives would literally take years to cure completely in brine. I also prefer sea salts, rock salts, and kosher salt and pretty much any type of non-iodized salt as it is better for the body and leans towards my “as organic as possible” personal preferences.
It is almost impossible to standardize the curing process because everyone has a unique palette, as well as there are so many variations using the same basic ingredients. There were recipes that used white wines, red wines, and even chili peppers and other seasonings to the brine curing process that would change the end result flavor. Most recipes did include using an egg as the barometer for the saltiness of the water. All the recipes did however state the jars should be kept in a cool but definitely dark place.
The great thing about this process is that it is not complicated but the quality of the olives seems to be the defining factor in how they eventually turn out. This process can be used on ripe and unripen olives as well which is great for someone like me who has little to no experience in recognizing a ripe olive. Plus there are several different types of olives and any of them can be used for this process.
I really love salty olives and I like using them in different recipes or just eating them on their own which is why I picked the brine curing method. Instead of adding salt to something like hummus, which I love, you can add brine cured olives for a salty flavor and a slightly different colour.
Sources:
http://www.milkwood.net/2015/04/12/curing-olives-basic-brine-salt-methods/
http://greekfood.about.com/od/greekcookingtips/qt/cureolives.htm
http://www.wikihow.com/Cure-Olives
The Recipe: Limitations; Standardization; Instructional; Cooking with Judgement
Most of the recipes I found recommended the skin to be broken in some way without damaging the pit. Without the slits etc. the olives would literally take years to cure completely in brine. I also prefer sea salts, rock salts, and kosher salt and pretty much any type of non-iodized salt as it is better for the body and leans towards my “as organic as possible” personal preferences.
It is almost impossible to standardize the curing process because everyone has a unique palette, as well as there are so many variations using the same basic ingredients. There were recipes that used white wines, red wines, and even chili peppers and other seasonings to the brine curing process that would change the end result flavor. Most recipes did include using an egg as the barometer for the saltiness of the water. All the recipes did however state the jars should be kept in a cool but definitely dark place.
The great thing about this process is that it is not complicated but the quality of the olives seems to be the defining factor in how they eventually turn out. This process can be used on ripe and unripen olives as well which is great for someone like me who has little to no experience in recognizing a ripe olive. Plus there are several different types of olives and any of them can be used for this process.
I really love salty olives and I like using them in different recipes or just eating them on their own which is why I picked the brine curing method. Instead of adding salt to something like hummus, which I love, you can add brine cured olives for a salty flavor and a slightly different colour.
Sources:
http://www.milkwood.net/2015/04/12/curing-olives-basic-brine-salt-methods/
http://greekfood.about.com/od/greekcookingtips/qt/cureolives.htm
http://www.wikihow.com/Cure-Olives
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