Dry Salt-Cured Olives

 

 

Olive trees grow well in Perth and many areas of Western Australia with our Mediterranean climate providing the perfect environment for them to thrive.  At certain time of the year, there would be olives dripping from trees in the suburbs and people in the know harvesting them for oil and curing. I have tried different methods for curing olives and find this one the quickest and easiest.  I recently made a few jars of dry salt-cured black olives from just one big branch sawn off my neighbour Andrew's tree as it was growing over his gutters.  His wife (also named Gloria and loves to cook) was delighted to be presented with a jar of it.  Before you go raid an olive tree on the street verge, do ask for the property owner's or resident's permission.  Pick a tree that is not too tall for easy access to the fruits.    

INGREDIENTS & EQUIPMENT

• olives: fully ripe black olives are best suited for this method of curing
• salt: use non-iodised sea salt or Himalayan salt, you'll need a quantity of salt equals to half the weight of the olives, for example, ½kg / 1lb of salt to 1kg / 2lb of olives
• a food-grade plastic bucket or container with lid
• a fork for pricking the olives
• a colander
• several large clean cloth towels

METHOD

1. Give the olives a wash to remove any dirt.  Spread them out on clean cloth towels to air dry.  Pick out and discard ones showing signs of decay or any puny ones.
2. With a fork, prick each and every olive to break their skin.  This might be tedious but allows the salt to penetrate the olive and for the bitter juice to come out during the curing process.
3. Once the olives have been pricked, pack them into the bucket or container between layers of salt.  Pop the lid on.
4. Check on the olives every few days.  The bitter juice will start to leak out into the salt and the olives will begin to shrivel up.  Strain the liquid off with a colander.  Redistribute the olives and the salt evenly in the bucket or container.
5. Repeat Step 4 for a period of 2-3 weeks.  Test the taste of the olives every so often by taking one out of the bucket, wash it in fresh water and take a bite.  
6. Once you are satisfied that the olives are no longer bitter, rinse the olives in fresh water and drain with a colander to remove all the salt.  Let the olives air dry on cloth towels.  
7. If you find the olives are too salty, soak them in fresh water for a few hours and have another taste.  Repeat if necessary until you are happy with the taste.
8. Store the olives in a clean jar in the refrigerator and use within a few days.  Otherwise you can preserve them in brine, or in oil and herbs, or make a delicious black olive dip to reward yourself for all the work you have done!