I just picked some large green olives from my uncles tree and would like to cure them. Anybody have any recipes? Most all recipes I have read recommend breaking the fruit, however whenever friends drop off freshly brined olives, they're always whole and are incredibly delicious. I am assuming if I break the fruit, it won't take as long to brine the olives. A simple salt brine would work perfectly for me. Any recommendations? Thanks.

Erik

Olives should be cured pretty quickly after picking. Sort through and discard any that are at all bruised or blemished.

Place the olives in a ceramic, glass or white heavy-duty plastic container. Using a cup measure, add cold water to cover, counting the cups of water used. GENTLY swish the olives in the water to clean them, then using something as a partial cover, drain the olives. (Do not pour them into a colander as this easily bruises the olives. They must be treated gently throughout the process.)

Using the same amount of water that you measured above, mix 1/4 cup fine sea or table salt per gallon of water and stir well to dissolve the salt. Pour over the olives. Let them stand at cool room temp (65F) for 2 days. Sterilize as many jars as you'll need to hold the olives. Gently remove the olives from the brine and fill the jars. Pour enough brine over them to cover and refrigerate. Test in several days, and consume within a few weeks.

(This is Paul Bertolli's method.)

Thanks for the response Kevin. I wasn't certain if anyone was going to respond so I took the initiative to use a 10% salt solution (before you posted). I have two large jar full of green olives in the salt brine, hidden in the pantry. I have read somewhere that it'll take somewhere around 6 months for the bitterness to subside and that I should be changing the brine every month. Are you aware of this? I didn't sterilize the jars, hopefully this won't be an issue (the jars that are given to me by friends are never sterilized).

Erik

Not acording to Bertolli and a few other sources. The info is confusing. Several say a few weeks tops. Some slit or crack, others don't.

I'd do no more than another day were I you, drain and rinse the olives while you sterilize the jars, make a new brine and continue.

Wish I could be more helpful.

Try this link: Curing Olives

I have to replace a tree out front, I may replace it with an olive tree.