Pickled Olives

Note: this recipe is for large quantities of olives.

INGREDIENTS

• Fresh green or black olives
• Course or cooking salt
• Water
• Olive oil
• Marinade of your choice

METHOD

1. Place the olives into a large clean bucket of clean water in which ½ cup of course or cooking salt has been dissolved for every 10 litres of water
2. Place a clean place on the top of the olives to keep them submerged
3. All olives must be under the liquid
4. Pour the liquid off the olives every day and replace the water with fresh salted water.
5. Repeat this for 20 days when pickling green olives and repeat this 14 times for black olives
6. The best way to test to see if the bitterness has gone is to bit an olive. If they are not bitter they are ready to drain and have a final salting
7. Pour off and measure the last lot of water so you know the volume of salt brine needed next
8. Measure the quantity of warm water into a pan and dissolve the salt in the water. The ratio is 1 cup of salt per 10 litres of water
9. Bring the preserving brine to the boil and allow it to cool.
10. Place the olives in sterilised bottles then pour the brine over them until they are completely covered
11. Top up each of the bottles with 1 cm olive oil to stop the air getting to the fruit
12. Seal the lids on the bottles
13. There is no further preparation of the olives required. The olives will last up to 12 months in a cool dark place.
14. You can now eat the olives straight from the brine or marinate them in what ever you like.