Olives

Every year, ever since I can remember, my dad has cured our table olives. In true Cordovan style he waits until the olive season is well under way and the price has dropped. He goes to market and comes back with eight 10-kilo boxes of green olives. We spend the rest of the weekend preparing the olives for curing.

Things have changed since the old days. Olive groves have been planted near my parents’ home and I now have a son of my own. But the family tradition lives on. Sometimes we go and pick our own olives but we still spend time together crushing them with a hammer to allow the brine to get into the olive. There is a great reward in eating your own cured olives but I think the most important part of the process is the strength of the family bond that brings everyone together year after year.