Hi Katarina,

I don't think I've ever seen or eaten pickled olives!...

...but, having said that, I used to live in Italy and, there, they would put whatever was to be preserved under salt for 6 hours (then dried), then under vinegar for 6 hours (and again dried), then into sterilized jars filled up with olive oil (flavoured with herbs/spices).

La Mama taught me to do this with mushrooms and courgettes. Sweet peppers and aubergines were the same except they had to be grilled and peeled and the salt stage could be missed out. They used to buy their olives from the farms already preserved.

If you're using olives already steeped in salt water perhaps you could just try the vinegar and oil stages.

Actually, now that I've remembered all of this...I might try it myself!

Hope this is of some help and...

...Good Luck

I have an olive tree, five years old and this year seems to have a LOT of fruits. Maybe I do not know ´the proper English expression, but what I meant were olives preserved in a bottle. Your process does not seem to be the one I once saw on Rhodos island. Sounds like typical Mediterranean way of preservation (sun, salt, drying), to me more like Middle East way of olive recipes.
One thing I did not understand - what do you mean under "preserving under salt"? Are olives put in salt or just salted over?

Thank you very much for experience, by the way.

hi again Katarina,

How wonderful to have an olive tree producing fruit! I have had one for years and not one single olive!

I'm sorry, I don't know how to go about preserving fresh olives! Except that, as you say, salt water or oil is the typical Mediterranean way of preserving green olives. Greek and Middle Eastern olives are usually dried...and are more often black, I think.

I seem to remember someone telling me that green olives are toxic and have to be steeped in salt water for some time before they are edible...but I don't know for how long...or what the solution should be...

When preserving the other vegetables I spoke about, they are prepared (eg sliced) and put on a large dish or plate and then sprinkled with salt. This, I think, is to remove excess water before preserving.

I wish I could be of more help...and I wish I had the same problem!

Hope you find a recipe!

rgds, K

Thank you. I am also surprised what my olive tree is able to produce. It is maybe because I bought it to the memory of somebody from Mediterranean whom I loved and lost. Last year it brought two teacups of olives, this year a basket.

Hi Katarina,

In that case, I'm sure that you will find the right way to preserve not just the olives, but also the memories :)

Best wishes, K