The olives are covered with blister- like protuberances which, if pricked with a needle, give off a small. amount of gas followed by brine; the wrinkled skin subsequently. fills a cavity in the flesh. On account of the gas content the fruit floats on the brine; the designation "floater" is, therefore, quite appropriate ...
As long as the olives look and smell good, you could spoon out the white floats and eat the olives without any worries. Even if you are not sure what constitutes fresh brine and not-so-fresh brine, your nose and brain will do the hard work for you.
Regardless of how long the olives have been opened or sat sealed on the shelf, any sign of mold means it's time for the trash. Beyond that obvious tell, search for any other sign of spoilage such as a change in appearance or smell.
It is the healthy lactobacillus probiotic bacteria from the fermentation process. It is perfectly normal and safe to eat. In fact, it helps you digest food. You can simply shake up the jar or scoop it off the top if it bothers you, but no matter what, don't toss out those delicious olives!
After a period of 10–24 hours, the olives will settle on the bottom of the bucket and there will be none floating on the surface. The olives are now cured.
The best way is to smell and look at the olives: if the olives develop an off odor, flavor or appearance, or if mold appears, they should be discarded. Discard all olives from cans or bottles that are leaking, rusting, bulging or severely dented.
Olive pits are a by-product from olive oil production. The olive pit granulate does not float, and it is a durable and temperature-regulating material.
fills a cavity in the flesh. On account of the gas content the fruit floats on the brine; the designation "floater" is, therefore, quite appropriate.
Olives with whitish spots can actually be one kind of mold, usually harmless, as long as the olives are hard and look and taste fine. There's a “bad” kind of mold that can grow on olives (or anything else) when they're too soft. If your olives are soft and have black or green spots, throw them away!
If white film or mold develops, simply remove it by tipping over the jar and pouring out the film. You can add a teaspoon or so of vinegar to the jar to keep this film from forming. The olives still should be safe to eat. However, if they taste funny, then you should throw them out!
That said, there does seem to be consensus that olives sold in tubs or from an olive bar where you scoop some into a tub, with little or no brine to keep them preserved, should always be kept refrigerated.
Yes, olive does go bad—aka rancid—eventually. That's because it's technically a perishable product. Olive oil is pressed from a fruit, so think of it like fruit juice.
But remember, olives, like a lot of other fruits, usually have a best before date and not a use by date. Because of this distinction, you may safely use olives to compliment your favorite meals even after the best before date has lapsed.
According to Does It Go Bad?, if the packing liquid (oil or brine) smells putrid or the olives themselves have a funky aroma, then it's wise to discard them. Alternatively, appearance also matters. While olives won't change color if they've spoiled, you should keep an eye out for mold.
So long as the olives are submerged in their brine marinade and kept out of heat and direct sunlight, they will last up to 6 months at room temperature. Of course, you can refrigerate them if you prefer.
The white stuff is most common called Mother or Mother of Vinegar. It is a harmless residue (oxidation) that forms on the olives when the vinegar in the brine mixes with oxygen. It is a naturally occurring by-product of the vinegar bacteria itself.
If mould is growing, tip the brine out, rinse the olives really well and make fresh brine. Changing the brine weekly will leach out the bitterness faster. Taste your olives after a month or so. If they are still too bitter, keep soaking them until you are happy.
To reduce saltiness, you can soak the olives in water overnight before eating them out-of-hand. After this soaking you can also place the olives in a little olive oil. The olive oil may congeal in the refrigerator, so before serving allow the olives to sit at room temperature until the oil has liquefied.
Curing the Olives
For a brine-cure, place the prepared olives in a mixture of 1 part salt to 10 parts water, making sure they're submerged, and leave for 3 to 6 weeks, changing the brine every week and shaking the pan once a day.
Olive pits are not poisonous. Many birds and other animals eat olives off the tree. The pits are primarily lignin, a major component of wood. If you ate one it would probably go through you undisturbed.
Pits give olives their firm structure. With them, they're the shimmering highlight of charcuterie and meze platters. Without the pits, olives are a briny, saggy mess.
Once pitted, the olives are returned to the brine for packing, which can penetrate the inside of the olive and turn it mushy and pasty, as well as increase the absorption of salt. That saltier taste can mask subtler flavors. If you have the time, it makes sense to buy unpitted olives and pit them yourself.
The color of an olive is an indication of its ripeness. Green olives ripen and become black olives. Or rather, they transform from green to light brown, to a vibrant red and purple, to the deepest, darkest black.
Once picked, olives have a short shelf life (no more than three days). So the couple of days before the press is when ALL the picking needs to happen.