Processing Olives

[Spoonta]

john you want to do some more mate have found a few trees full

 

[jyo]

Spewing, spoonta, only just saw this post.
Well, I pretty much followed DB's steps as on page one up until step 5, where i pickled in 1/4 brine- 3/4 vinegar solution. Did a combination of fresh garlic, oregano, whole pepper corns, whole coriander seed and a good splash balsamic, topped with about 2 cm of olive oil. Cheers, DB and Jaypes for the PM's.

Pretty happy and will definitely be doing this again next year. A couple of the jars received a couple of chillies from spoonta's garden.

edit- pic not working, but you all know what olives look like.

 

[Rod]

one way to remove the white film on the top is to take your containers and slowly add cold water to over fill the drum and the white stuff will float off

put a funnel into the drum below the surface of the white stuff and add water

then tip out the 10% solution and replace until the olives taste to your liking then replace with 6 % brine which I find to my liking

 

[OzPaleAle]

I did some this year, started off soaking in a salt brine, got sick of waiting and heard some guy on the radio say he did them by just covering them in dry salt and they shrivel up as they dehydrate.
After another week or so I rinsed the salt off and put in fresh water so they rehydrate.
They didn't have a bitter taste anymore, I just have them stored in jars with a little vinegar and salt water.

I thought it would take a lot of salt to cover them but I have 1\2 20L bucket of olives and I put 2 of the el cheapo coles brand cooking salt packets(Maybe 2KG each from memory) and mixed it all together to give the olives a good coating.

 

[stueywhytcross]

I use caustic soda to cure my olives.
http://www.cureolives.com/

 

[Hippy]

I use caustic soda to cure my olives.
http://www.cureolives.com/

So do I.
My father in law's Italian and his olives have won lots of awards. He gave me his recipe and I'm currently eating a jar of 2011 vintage while watching the wallabies get flogged.
They are really good.

 

[Bizier]

I just moved into a place with a couple of small olive trees, and I went the straight salt method with the remaining olives. I think that because they were so ripe and the rain was hammering for weeks, they were too gorged with water, they seem to not shrivel evenly, some seem to go soft at one end first, which might be a bad sign.

Nothing ventured, nothing gained I guess.

I am potentially keen to swap olives with some local WA lads.

Where are people getting food grade sodium hydroxide from? Can you use other alkaline salts like brewing chalk?

 

[jyo]

Do people use the lye simply because it's a faster process? I just don't like the idea of using it in my food (I'm sure I've eaten many commercial olives made using this method).

I found the brining method so simple and floated some olive oil on top during the month of brine to avoid the white moldy crap.

I just wish I had done more as I only have 2 jars left!

 

[Bizier]

It gives a firm texture to the olive flesh Jyo.
Caustic is used in preparing a number of foods and is basically just salt at the end of the day when the concentration is reduced and pH is balanced.

 

[jyo]

Ok, cheers for that, Biz..

 

[Bizier]

Come to papa baby.

 

[Chookers]

I think the Greeks use Lye in the curing of Kalamata Olives.. I have never done them. We eat our olives water cured, and dressed with fresh garlic, parsley, red capsicum, celery and seasoned with dried oregano, salt, pepper, olive oil and vinegar.. they will not keep indefinitely because they're not really preserved.. but trust me that wont be a problem you will eat them well before.

 

[jyo]

Good timing. I was out yesterday scouting for some trees up in the hills. Found heaps of different spots but in particular a few old trees growing near a creek that are going to be absolutely Ioaded.

I just have to sneak passed the massive bull in the paddock to get to them You wear red to repel bulls, yeah? Could be interesting.



Jumping Bizier's fence may be a safer option.

 

[Spoonta]

john let me know when your going on the raid and I will come with

 

[jyo]

I have gone with DB's process again this year, but I've got the stringy kahm yeast on top. I didn't get it last year. I topped with olive oil, so it may be sitting on top of this. I have all the olives submerged properly in the brine.

After researching, some have said that the yeast can have a negative impact on flavour. Do you guys suggest trying to get the yeast off, wash in fresh water and re-brine, or just leave them to do their thing?

Any help is appreciated. Cheers.

 

[Spoonta]

I would wash and rebrine a batch I did got this last year and made them very soft

 

[Yeastfridge]

wobbly, i appreciate you taking the scientific approach, and understanding why and how things work, but try a KISS approach with at least some of the olives, you should be pleasantly surprised

- score the olives on one side
- soak in fresh water for 5 days, changing the water every day (this helps extract the bitterness)
- then soak in a brine solution (enough salt to float an egg which is roughly 7:1) for a month, cover with a little olive oil
- after a month, wash the olives and marinate to your taste (either in a weaker brine, olive oil, vinegar, oregano etc)
- after washing, i soak in vinegar (some balsamic and red wine or sherry vinegar) for 24 hours
- after 24 hours remove half the vinegar, add some oregano and top up with quality extra virgin olive oil

they are then ready to eat and enjoyed with your favourite beer

Also did them similar to donburke's way but changed the brine every week til they weren't bitter. I didn't bother floating an egg, just did roughly 1/3 cup packed rock salt per litre of water. I got that film on top but after some research stopped worrying - I just kept the olives submerged and they taste killer.

 

[Yeastfridge]

I have gone with DB's process again this year, but I've got the stringy kahm yeast on top. I didn't get it last year. I topped with olive oil, so it may be sitting on top of this. I have all the olives submerged properly in the brine.

After researching, some have said that the yeast can have a negative impact on flavour. Do you guys suggest trying to get the yeast off, wash in fresh water and re-brine, or just leave them to do their thing?

Any help is appreciated. Cheers.

I say let them do their thing. Only from my experience, which is limited. Taste the brine and see what you think, mine was delicious.

 

[jyo]

Hey cheers, guys I meant to check this thread ages ago.

I ended up leaving them and just washed the yeast off before bottling. They have turned out really good.


Cheers.

 

[Tropico]

Bump.

Just started doing olives, the local fruit shop had a couple of boxes out and I couldn't resist getting some.

Like most things, just about everyone has a slightly different method.

Found a good read if anyone is interested: "Producing Table Olives".

Edit: full book in PDF