Comments on: It’s that season: Pickling olives for another year

By: Liz

Liz — Fri, 10 Dec 2010 00:04:04 +0000

That’s part of what makes me uncomfortable knowing that it’s used to process food … even if people don’t usually die from eating lye-cured olives.

By: sarah

sarah — Thu, 09 Dec 2010 19:51:29 +0000

btw, lye is poisonous. It is used but rinsed off completely

By: a-man

a-man — Tue, 16 Nov 2010 08:04:33 +0000

Nice that you remind me of how olives are to be prepared. In the more industrial regions of the world people just buy them ready made neglecting the fact where the olives come from and how …

Thx.

By: Liz

Liz — Mon, 15 Nov 2010 12:35:31 +0000

Lovely seeing you all! Yalla, cure some olives!

By: Yael

Yael — Mon, 08 Nov 2010 19:47:17 +0000

Nice new look in your blog!
And it was really nice at the wine fair:-)
I used to pickle my own olives when my son’s father had a garden with olive trees.

By: Mimi

Mimi — Sun, 07 Nov 2010 11:04:52 +0000

Great, informative post, Liz. I’ve pickled green olives already but this makes me want to get some black ones.

By: Liz

Liz — Sun, 07 Nov 2010 10:38:51 +0000

Definitely something you should try at least once Actually, I’ve never made kimchi.

By: Irene Sharon Hodes

Irene Sharon Hodes — Sun, 07 Nov 2010 10:32:28 +0000

Awesome post, Liz. I’m going to head to the market today or tomorrow to get some. It’ll be my first olive pickling experience. I’m better versed in kimchi, surprisingly.

By: Liz

Liz — Sun, 07 Nov 2010 09:40:42 +0000

Thanks Sarah. Those all sound like interesting ways to pickle your olives. What happened to the lighter olives in the salt pickling? And where are your relatives who cure their olives with lye? In Israel? I’d be interested to find out if people do that here, too.

By: sarah

sarah — Sun, 07 Nov 2010 07:07:43 +0000

visited the Galil yesterday- hiking trip to nahal akhziv, anyway all along the olive groves on the side of the roads families were busy harvesting olives the old fashioned way. They spread a tarp under the trees and shake or wack the olives off the branches. We didn’t get a chance to photograph but it seems to me it is the most pleasant way to spend the weekend. I tried salt pickling this year- not completely successful as I need to do a better job separating the dark purple from the black. For a lower salt brining method I was told to use only a teaspoon of salt for each cup without any flavor additions (extras like lemon slices and garlic will ferment with so little salt). For extra flavor the olives are marinaded over night in fresh lemon, garlic, parsley and whatever herbs and spices you wish.
My friend does it like that it is quite good.
I have family that uses the lye method as well which is a much faster way of curing (no week long soaking), but the flavor is never as good, too industrial.