Prepare olives Place black and green olives in a 20 litre bucket of water and change the water every day for the next 2 weeks. After 2 weeks, place the olives in another bowl filled with vinegar. Allow to marinate in vinegar for 2 days. Remove the olives from the vinegar and place them on a tray.
The prepared olives are soaked in water and the water is changed daily over a week or more, depending on the olive style and the desired level of bitterness. After curing, the olives are placed in a finish brine, which is a vinegar-salt solution that adds the characteristic flavors.
You can make a simple brine solution using a ratio of 1 parts salt to 10 parts water. Use an unprocessed salt such as rock salt or sea salt. Cover the olives with the brine in a bucket, jar or container with a lid. Make sure the olives are again completely submerged.
Their shelf-life can be pretty impressive, lasting anywhere from 12 to 18 months once opened and properly stored in the fridge, compared to the meager three days of dry olives — like those you can snag at the salad bar. Unopened, jarred olives will stay fresh for up to two years.
Vinegar and oil
Add 250ml of white wine vinegar for every 1L of brine and continue as above. Once cured, store the olives in the brine or drain and completely cover in extra-virgin olive oil, to which you can add flavourings such as dried oregano, chilli or fennel seeds.
You need to make sure they are in a dry and cool place out of direct sunlight, (like the pantry) as the sunlight can cause olives to deteriorate faster. Once you have opened olives in brine, you need to place the container, whether it's a bottle or jar into the fridge.
Also the addition of a lot of salt can mask the taste of a lot of acid or vinegar in the brine. Strong flavoured olives may taste better with more salt, and conversely light flavoured olives may taste better with less salt. All a matter of perception...
As previously mentioned, liquid-packed olives boast a pretty impressive shelf-life, even if the jar has been opened. If the olives you bring home are bathing in a liquid brine, they will stay fresh for 12 to 18 months after being opened, provided that you store them properly. (More on that later.)
Sicilian & Kalamata Olive Processes
Sicilian and Kalamata olives have similar curing methods. Sicilian olives are soaked in salt and lactic acid for one year. The same process, minus the lactic acid is used to cure Kalamata olives, as well as Amphissa, Niçoise, Picholine, Cerignola and Gaeta olives.
Combine 1 part salt to 10 parts water and pour over the olives in a bowl or pot. Weigh them down with a plate and let sit for 1 week. Drain the olives and repeat the brining process for another week. Do this two more times so they brine for about a month or so.
Pour the salted water over the olives etc until they are well covered. Seal the container. Store in a cool place and keep the container sealed for 6-8 weeks for black olives, and 8-10 weeks for green olives. Open and taste, if the olives are still bitter, leave the to cure for another week or so and test again.
A. The most common name is Mother. This is harmless residue that forms on the olives when the vinegar in the brine mixes with oxygen (oxidation).
Usually brine is involved for preserving, on its own or combined with vinegar. The salt in the brine, together with an acidic element such as vinegar or a slice of lemon; and a layer of oil at the very top of the bottled olives, all help in the preserving.
To cure the olives, they need to rest in a saltwater brine for a few months. You need a 3:1 ratio of olives to saltwater brine. For example, for every full bucket of olives, you'll need about a third of a bucket of brine. Find a food-grade container or bucket/s large enough to fit all your olives.
Olives that don't have brine and ones that are marinated should be refrigerated. If you want them to keep for the longest time possible, storing them in a safe plastic container in the fridge is your best bet.
#1: Vinegar Soaking Method
Vinegar has been shown to help cut down on bacteria as well as remove a good amount of surface dirt and residue on fresh produce. To make a vinegar soak; start with a clean sink then fill it with cold water (alternatively this can be done in a large bowl).
Traditional Kalamata olives, naturally fermented and finished in red wine vinegar. Each year the Kalamata olives are harvested between May and June.
The Kalamata olive is a large, dark brown olive with a smooth, meaty texture, named after the city of Kalamata in the southern Peloponnese, Greece. Often used as table olives, they are usually preserved in wine vinegar or olive oil.
Though olives are perfectly fine to consume straight from the jar, we recommend that you rinse them under cool water before serving. This removes most of the brine and sodium that coat the olive and can take away from the actual flavor. If you are watching your sodium intake rinsing is a must.
Combine 1–1½ cups of pickling salt with one gallon of cold water (use more salt for smaller olives; less for larger olives) and 2 cups of vinegar. Stir the mixture to dissolve the salt. Pour the brine over the olives to cover. Top with lids, but do not screw tightly.
Now put the olives in the lye solution and stir them round with a wooden spoon or spatula to wet them completely. The fruit will sink to the bottom of the container, but some will float to the top. This should be avoided since otherwise the part of the olives that is not immersed in the liquid will turn brown.
Start with the sniff test. If the olives give a funky odor, or the oil smells rancid, throw them out. Second, consider the appearance. If the olives are in brine and there's a layer of white mold at the top, Mezzetta says it's fine to remove it and continue eating.