Brined Olives

Ever since last year when I learned that curing your own olives is very easy I've wanted to get my hands on some fresh ones. Unfortunately, the olive season is mid-October and can last anywhere from one week to three months depending on the weather so I couldn't get any online in time. However, I was on the look out for them this year at the Farmers Market or, if I couldn't find them there, online. Luckily I found some small-medium green olives (no idea what kind) in Pasadena and bought ~2 pounds. One other good thing about olives are they are cheap! Only $1.50 a pound at the marker or I think 10 pounds online is around $15.

Why cure the olives and not just eat them fresh? Have you ever tried a fresh olive? I certainly haven't (though I was almost tempted when making these...)! I've been warned that they are quite bitter and disgusting thanks to some phenols (an acid) and a carbohydrate called oleuropein. Although there are different methods of curing they share the common goal of removing this molecule from the olive to make it palatable. There are a few ways of curing including a progressive water soak where the olives are opened up somehow either by smashing or a small knife slit. This length of curing only takes about a month, which is fast for olive curing. Or, you could try chemically removing the bitterness with food grade lye. This method only takes a week.

Oh, ok. Cool! Wait...there must be a downside to this method if its so short and not used often at home. Not really...lye is just SODIUM HYDROXIDE, a highly corrosive substance capable of causing chemical burns and corroding GLASS! I don't care if it's food grade, used in small enough concentration, and is USDA safe. I'm not messing around with it.

Now, the third way is to brine the olives in a water, salt, and vinegar solution allowing them to ferment. This method is beyond easy. You simply take the olives, wash, pick out ones with obvious blemishes, add brine, and let sit. It simply involves checking on them once in awhile to make sure the brine isn't gross or murky and, if so, just replace it. Again, if it's so easy what's the downside?

It takes anywhere from 4-8 months.

Hmmm.

Well, I don't want to break my olives open...so water curing is out. I don't necessarily want a chemical burn in my esophagus...so lye curing it out. And brining is by far the easiest. Well, brining it is! I followed a recipe from the "Hunter, Angler, Gardener, Cook" blog that involves brining the olives in a solution of 1/4 kosher salt to 4 cups water, plus 1/2 vinegar (I used white wine vinegar). Around the new year I can begin adding spices like chiles, garlic, bay lay, ect. If you add the spices too early in the process they become over powering.

Hopefully, come June, they will be cured and not bitter. If so, 10 lbs of olives curing in a giant vat next year here I come! If not, well, at least it was really easy and cheap.