Green Olives – Split & Soaked
The resulting olives once cured would have to be my family’s favourites. They take a bit of work at the start before bottling, but they will cure more quickly and also keep well in the jars.
You will need:
- The olives must be very firm and green, preferably if they are round and not pointy. Better varieties to use are large Kalamata or Spanish Queens. It’s not worth using tiny olives
- Lemon
- Olive oil
- Brine solution: water, cooking salt, white wine vinegar
Brine Solution Recipe (10%)
For every 1 litre of water, you will need 100g of cooking salt (non-iodised) and an additional 50mL of regular white vinegar.
Determine the volume of each jar by filling it with water, then measure the capacity. Prepare the solution by calculating 10% of this volume as salt. Add the salt to the required amount of water and stir until completely dissolved. Per litre of solution, add an additional 50mL of white vinegar. Pour into your jar of olives, ensuring they are fully covered.
Method:
- Crush each olive using a sharp blow with the base of a small bottle that has a slightly concave hollow underneath. A beer stubby is ideal. This loosens the stone and opens up the olive to faster curing. Do not remove the stone.
- Place the split olives in a large tub of water with 2 or 3 cut lemon halves.
- Change the water daily for 4 days.
- After 4 days, drain the olives, remove the lemons and place the olives into your clean jars.
- Measure how much brine solution is needed and make up a 10% solution (see left). Once the solution is made, add 50ml regular white vinegar for every litre of brine.
- Pour this curing solution into the clean, sterilised jars, drizzle some olive oil to cover the top of the solution by 5mm and seal the jars.
- Leave to cure in a cool, dark place.
- Once cured, drain the olives as needed and dress with crushed garlic, your choice of dried or fresh herbs, chilli and liberal amounts of great olive oil!
ESTIMATED TIME TO CURE: Depends on the initial size of the olives and may take up to one year.
