Fresh olives are rarely available in Germany. Either you are lucky and have a few trees of your own or you can ask at your local Turkish or Italian grocery store. However, you should never eat fresh olives raw, but always pickle them.
How can you preserve olives yourself?
To preserve olives, first brine them to debitter them. Then fill a jar with olives, spices and vegetables. Pour in olive oil so that all ingredients are completely covered. Stored in a cool, dark place, the olives will last for about a year.
Debitter olives
Olives fresh from the tree taste terribly bitter: it's hard to believe that such a he althy delicacy can be created from these inedible fruits. In order for you to enjoy the olives, you must first remove their bitter substances. Traditionally this is done by soaking the olives in brine. Green, i.e. unripe, olives can only be debittered in water, but pure water is not sufficient for black ones.
How to brine olives
- Cut the fresh olives crosswise at each end.
- You can also prick them on three sides with a fork.
- Take 500 grams of s alt per liter of water.
- Soak the olives in this brine for 24 hours.
- Change the brine.
- Water the olives for at least a week.
- Change the brine daily.
If the olives taste too s alty after this procedure, then soak them in clear water for a few days, although this must also be changed daily.
Olive oil preserves perfectly
Now you can preserve the de-bittered olives. The best way to do this is to take a disposable jar with an airtight lid and alternately layer olives, various spices such as bay leaf, oregano, rosemary, thyme etc. and, depending on your taste, suitable vegetables, such as hot peppers or chili peppers, carrot slices, silver onions, small ones Cauliflower florets There are no limits to your imagination. You can also add a little good vinegar (e.g. red wine vinegar). The only important thing is that you pour olive oil over the whole thing. All ingredients must be completely covered. Preserved in this way, the home-preserved olives will last for about a year, provided they are kept cool and dark.
Tips & Tricks
Use empty plastic water bottles when watering. Fill these with olives and finally up to the edge with brine. The opening of the bottles makes it easier for you to change the water. To get to the olives, you just need to cut the bottle open.
