NeedleCloud

Any day now we should be getting our box of fresh olives. Olives, really? You ask. Yes really.

A few months ago the hubby and I were having daydreams about pulling up the stakes and heading somewhere where we could have an olive orchard and make olive oil. I know it’s very lawyer turned winemaker or something but we were both excited about it. I think being from a rural area and moving to the city kind of makes you long for your roots. I couldn’t wait to get out of Wisconsin but now I kind of miss it sometimes. My way to ease the longing for the simpler life… baking bread and pickling things.

I looked all over trying to find a place to purchase fresh olives online and found a farm in California that does just that. After waiting 5 months for harvest time I finally put in my order and have been anxiously awaiting their arrival. I really wanted to try making olive oil, and maybe will still do it, but it requires more machinery. Curing olives is easier. It’s takes about 8 days – 3weeks (I’ve found a bunch of conflicting info on exactly how long it takes) to leach out the oleuropein (this is the chemical that makes raw uncured olives extremely bitter) when water curing them. If you use lye it takes a day, but I’m not really keen on using caustic chemicals on my food so I’ll wait the extra bit. After that we’ll be transferring them to jars with different combinations of garlic and maybe some spicy peppers etc.

I’m really excited. My grandmother is sending me some tips on canning and some pickle recipes so we’ll try some of those too.

I’m hoping it isn’t too much of a pain in the ass and we can make it a yearly thing. I’ll be posting recipes, and photos of the process. And be warned dear friends you’ll probably be getting a big ol jar of pickley goodness in your stocking, if they turn out well.