These olives were picked from our own trees here at Bondi at the end of February and beginning of March this year. They spent about 2 months brining, both black and green, separated by harvest date & slit on two sides – the first week with a daily change of 1/3 of a cup of salt to a litre of water & then a weekly change of the same… In 2013 we harvested about 4.5kg of black and green combined & they have been brining for 2 months. This recipe is for preserving some olives & eating the rest – the jars of olives are even better after a week & will last undisturbed in the cupboard for at least 12 months; once opened will last for about a month in the fridge.
Our olives!
Fresh from the garden: olives, rosemary, thyme, sage
Recipe source: Melissa
Makes: 3 jars plus a bowl to eat!
Equipment:
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Ingredients:
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What to do:
- Preheat oven to 160°C.
- Thoroughly wash jars and lids in hot soapy water, rinse well and leave upside down to drain.
- When the oven is ready, place jars right-side up on the baking tray and slip into the oven for 5-10 minutes until totally dry. Wipe the lids with paper towel to make sure perfectly dry.
- Meanwhile scoop olives out of the tub and into the colander with the slotted spoon and rinse in cold water, checking each olive and discarding any that are mushy. Pat dry with paper towel.
- Wash and thoroughly dry all the herbs and strip the leaves from their stalks.
- Peel the garlic cloves and gently crush each clove with the back of a knife to break.
- Carefully slice 1 cm-wide strips of zest from the orange, trying to take just the peel and none of the white pith.
- Pour the olive oil into the saucepan and add the olives, herbs, chilli, bay leaves, fennel seeds, garlic and orange strips. Heat over medium-low heat until warm & smelling lovely.
- Using oven mitts slide the tray of jars out of the oven. Using the ladle, carefully fill each jar with a good combination of olives, herbs, spices, orange peel, and garlic. Fill right to the top with olive oil and then seal each with its lid.
- Spoon the remainder into the four little bowls and place each on a plate with a spare to catch the pits.
Notes: Why don’t we use the olives straight from the trees? Why are they green & black? What does ‘marinate’ mean? Why do we heat up the olive oil? What other ingredients could you use?
Olives, jarred
The Bondi Cook 