Curing and Preserving Olives

Olives differ in colour at various stages of ripeness. All are inedible straight from the tree and need to be cured, then preserved in oil or brine. Green olives, the youngest, are hard and very bitter, whereas black olives are fully mature and plump. Each requires a different curing process and the resulting textures and flavours vary. Curing olives is simple but takes time and patience.

The first step in curing green olives is to leach out the bitter juices. Crack or split the olives to the stone either with a paring knife or by tapping with a wooden mallet. Put them in a bowl, then cover with cold water. Drain and cover with fresh water every day. Taste after 2 weeks and if still bitter continue soaking and changing the water. It may take up to 4 weeks. The olives can now be preserved in olive oil or in a brine solution and different herbs and aromatics can be added to infuse the olives with flavour.