Bejay,

It's my understanding that all fruit and vegetables can be fermented. So far garlic cloves have been the least successful with hot peppers running a distant 2nd.

For sure worth a try!

jt

Bejay, it is a long process, I understand. You cannot safely process them in jars, though, for shelf storage. The ph is just too high to safely can at home.

Here is a link that might be useful: How to cure olives.

The instructions linda lou provided may involve a long process, but not complicated. If I had a supply of olives I certainly would process them. I'm crazy about olives, the funky Greek and Sicilian types, which can become an expensive taste to satisfy.

Jim

Lindalou - jimster-

Thank you for the link. I can't see where the brine cure would be any more difficult than those great fermented brine pickles and veggies, that we have been involved in here recently with the help of these forums.

While I don't have an olive tree in my yard, I've seen them with fruit falling locally, and no one ever bothers to process them.

I suppose, the best way to eat them would be right out of the brining container - (like pickles or kraut - for instances?). If it is unsafe to can them in jars, a large crock would perhaps be in order for keeping them in - and like kraut, a cool place as well.

I've made a printout of the website you offered LL, and if the opportunity arises, think I will give it a try - now that I'm retired, these "little challenges" help keep life interesting (like sauerkraut, brining meat, sourdough starters). My goodness, what will they think of next?

The black olives in Italian specialty markets are OK, but they seem to be packed in salt - but perhaps that is a different process altogether. I've never acquired a taste for them, however, perhaps because they aren't locally available.

Bejay

I brined olives last year, using a recipe from the New York Times. I assumed they'd vetted the recipe since it's the New York Times, but maybe that was dumb of me. (Safety question: Anyone who knows more about brining than I do -- if I've inadvertenly created something potentially poisonous, let me know right away. I've already eaten one of the jars with no ill effects, but I also gave three away and those may not have been opened yet.)

>>>
Nonno's olives

Salt

1 egg

3 1/2 pounds fresh green olives, washed

2 lemons, scrubbed and cut into quarters

4 stalks celery, cut into 2-inch lengths

1 head garlic, cloves separated and peeled

1 handful fresh hot chili peppers, such as jalape, serrano or cubanelle

1 cup white vinegar

1 cup lemon juice (fresh or bottled)

Vegetable oil.

1. Make a brine: Add about 1/2 cup salt to 2 quarts water, mixing to dissolve. Place whole egg in brine. If egg floats, water is salty enough for curing; if egg sinks, add salt and mix gently, repeating until egg floats to surface. Remove egg.

2. Place a third of the olives in a gallon jar with a wide mouth and a tight lid. Add roughly a third of the lemon pieces, a third of the celery, a third of the garlic and a third of the chili peppers. Repeat twice with remaining ingredients, pressing down to pack layers tightly into jar. Top off with a layer of celery pieces.

3. Pour brine into jar until it comes halfway up. Add vinegar and lemon juice. If needed, pour in more brine until jar is almost full. Gently pour a thin layer of oil over surface. Close jar and store at cool room temperature for at least six months. Jar may leak slightly from top as mixture ferments, so store on a tray.

4. Serve plain, or with a tangy cheese such as kashkaval, kasseri or Manchego. Everything can be eaten, and lemon pieces can be used in recipes calling for preserved lemons.

5. Refrigerate after opening. As olives and vegetables are removed, keep remainder covered with brine or oil. If olives become too strong-tasting as they sit, drain brine and pour in olive oil to cover.

Yield: 1 gallon.

Note: Top layer of vegetables may turn black during curing, because of air exposure. (A little bit of air is necessary to cure olives safely, so just screw the top firmly shut and do not attempt to boil or vacuum-seal the jar as for canning.) Blackened parts should be discarded but remainder is fine to eat. If contents become moldy, discard them.
Second less urgent safety question: The olives near the top of the jar did darken a bit. Not what I'd call 'blacken' exactly (as the recipe notes, near the end), just turned a darker color than the olives further down the jar. I ate them anyway and noticed no difference between them and the olives further down, but should I have discarded them?

3rd sort-of safety question: I'd love some direction on the salt brine other than "until an egg floats." I poured in salt forever and the damn egg never floated. I finally had to heat the brine to get any more salt to dissolve, and at that point I figured it had to be enough. The olives are very salty, to the point I rinse them before eating.

For those interested in brining olives, they're in season in California is September - November and they can be ordered then.

Thanks for any help!

Here is a link that might be useful: Source for olives

Bejay, UC Davis has several very helpful documents on home-curing of olives you might like to check out.

I did an Advanced Search on Google for "Curing Olives" specifying only ".edu" so I could limit the results to University and Extension sites. Take a look and you'll see several UC Davis documents.

Carol

Here is a link that might be useful: Curing Olives