This morning I picked the olives from the older of our two trees, which we planted about five years ago. There were 178 undamaged ripe olives – more than double the 80 we picked last year. If the number carries on increasing at this rate I won’t be counting them individually next year!
 |  |
I’m thinking of trying something new with them this year – dry salt curing. I’ve found a few recipes for this and the one on www.greek-recipe.com looks the simplest. The olives have to be rinsed and then layered with salt in a clay pot (other recipes suggest a basket or slatted box) for 1-2 months. Once cured they will not keep as long as brine-cured olives, but that shouldn’t be a problem as we’ll eat them quite quickly!
The olives on our smaller tree, the Lucques, are not quite ripe yet, so I’ll pick them in a week or so. I think I’d prefer to use the recipe I’ve used before for them, as I know it works, but more on this when they’re ready to be cured.
Some last tomatoes and more gifts …
8 comments:
It's great being able to share produce. The pumpkins look great.
We were given a small squash the other day, so that's destined for soup. Our olives aren't quite ripe enough yet. Some of the local farmers are harvesting theirs, but quite a lot will not be picking them until December.
You individually count your olives!? I first thought you had omitted the 'kg' after the number. We'll start harvesting from our 45 mature trees on Thursday. many had been neglected for many years so yields aren't that high either, but hoping for enough to take to the olive mill for some oil this year.
I have GOT to get over to the olive people and ask. I'll also post on Freecycle. . .
It would be great to try both methods and compare. You're so lucky! I'm going to have to plant a couple of olive trees in pots next year.
Impoftheyard: Yes, it's great to share produce. And since I wrote this post, we've been given a cauliflower as well!
Jan: I hope you do cure your olives. I'd like to know how they turn out.
Heike: it's because we've only got two very small trees that I'm so excited about these olives and so I count them! I don't recommend this for your 45 trees! I wish we had enough for oil, but there is a minimum of 15 kg before you can take them to the local cooperative.
Stefaneener: good luck with getting some olives!
Those olives are fabulous. I'm sure you'll have enough for oil soon enough!
Those olives just look wonderful!
I actually prefer the taste of the dry salted olives to the ones in brine. You are doing well with yours - a sign of success if there are too many to count next year!
Post a Comment