If you have the opportunity to pick olives, it is important to know that consumption cannot be immediate but necessarily requires a resting period and a subsequent salting process. Then you can preserve them in salt, in oil, or in brine, depending on the type of olive. Preservation methods differ according to the type of olive. In fact, some methods are suitable for black olives, others for green olives. If you love cultivation or have a small olive grove, you will surely know that black olives are the result of prolonged ripening compared to green olives. For this reason, black olives are characterized by a lighter flavor, less bitter and more rounded, and to be preserved, they require a salting procedure.
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But now, let’s proceed in order and see how to preserve both black and green olives with salt preservation, in oil, and also in brine, depending on the different types of olives. If you wish, you can then enjoy preparing delicious oil-preserved sun-dried tomatoes towards the end of summer, which we discuss in our dedicated article.
Whether you want to preserve green or black olives, the important thing is that they are in good condition. Therefore, select olives that are healthy, shiny, ripe, and fleshy. Check that they do not have unwanted “guests,” that they are not damaged or bruised. Discard those that are soft. Then wash them under running water and place them in a colander. Then pat them dry with a cloth. Following this procedure, you will be able to check your olives and select only the best ones for preserving. Having done this, let’s now see how to preserve olives in salt.
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If you have black olives that you want to enjoy at the table, know that they require the salt preservation method. This procedure allows the olive to lose its bitter taste and become sweeter. Essentially, the salt will allow the olives to lose their vegetation water and make them sweeter. But let’s see what to do in detail and the timings.
After cleaning and selecting the olives as mentioned above, you can proceed with the salting process:
This procedure allows you to prepare your salted olives that you can keep in the refrigerator. Remember to shake them occasionally to ensure that the olives are always coated with oil. Consume your olives within a week.
Now that we have seen this important salting procedure, let’s move on to how to preserve olives in brine and also how to preserve olives in the oven or in oil. You will discover how to preserve olives for a longer period.
If you are thinking of preserving olives in brine, the procedure is simple even though it requires a longer preparation period. Let’s see it.
Place the olives in a jar, add water and salt. The proportion between these two ingredients is approximately 140 g of salt per liter of water. Let rest for 1 day. Then replace the water, add more salt, and let rest for 40 days. During this long period, however, remember to change the water once a week and if foam forms, it should be removed.
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After 40 days, boil 1 liter of water with 150 g of salt. When the brine has cooled, add it to the olives that you will have placed in the previously sanitized jar by boiling. Close the jars, position them upside down to let them rest and create a vacuum seal. This way you can preserve your olives in brine for several months.
Having seen this method, suitable for both black and green olives, let’s see how to prepare oven-baked black olives and subsequently how to preserve olives in oil.
We saw above how to preserve black olives in salt. It is a simple procedure that requires a certain amount of time and daily monitoring of the olives. Let’s now see how to prepare oven-baked black olives to which you can add some seasonings to taste. But let’s proceed in order.
After selecting only healthy and beautiful olives, score the olives in 2 or 3 places. Place them in a colander and sprinkle them with coarse salt, creating multiple layers. They will need to lose water for 5-7 days. Subsequently, you can rinse the olives with white vinegar.
Having done this, place parchment paper on the baking sheet and spread extra virgin olive oil, trying to brush it over the entire surface. Place the olives on top and put them in the oven preheated to 150°C and check that they wrinkle. Once cooled, you can place them in jars to which you will also add extra virgin olive oil. Close the jars and store in the refrigerator.
Preparing oil-preserved olives to preserve them for a long time throughout the winter is a simple system that, however, necessarily requires the elimination of the bitter taste with the salting procedure seen above, which requires a processing period of about 10 days. Once the olives are desalted, whether green or black, the job is almost done. You will only need to think about draining and drying the olives, leaving them in the sun covered with a cloth.
Having done this, you can place them in jars and then immerse them in extra virgin olive oil, so that they are completely covered. Leave some empty space so that a little air remains under the lid. When closing the jars, you will need to keep them upside down so that a vacuum seal is created. You can check that your jar is correctly closed for long-term preservation by pressing the lid in the middle; if it makes a click-clack sound, the seal will not be hermetic; if it makes no sound, the jar will be able to preserve the contents for a long time.
For more information on food preservation at home, we recommend consulting this guide from the Ministry of Health.
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We have seen how to preserve black and green olives and how important it is, first of all, to select the best olives, and secondly, to eliminate the strongly bitter taste that freshly picked olives have. To do this, we have seen how important the role of salt is, but we have also noted how long the process can be, at least 10 days.
We recommend, if you want to shorten the time, to use lye instead of salt. It would be better if you did this only with a certain degree of experience with lye. Also know that you can use it only if the olives are perfectly intact. Prepare a solution of one liter of water with 20 grams of caustic soda and after letting it cool, you will need to completely immerse the olives in it and wait 8-10 hours.
Subsequently, you will need to leave the olives in cold water for 3 days, changing the water two or three times a day. After this period, you can preserve your olives in oil or in brine using the procedures seen above.
Technician and expert in extra virgin olive oils, registered in the National Register, Campania section. Master oil miller with diploma, obtained from International Extravirgin Agency.
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