In this article I want to talk about what to do with all those olives you pick every year.  My friend Palmera, the best Spanish cook I know, has very kindly given me her favourite pickling recipe. For this you will need a glass or crock pot (tinaja). The olives must first be split. This is done by using a small block of wood which you can comfortably hold in your hand and bashing the olives on a wooden board. The olives are then soaked in fresh water for 4-5 days. Use water from a well or spring (i.e. no chemicals). Change the water every day until it is sweet. Wash the olives and then the pickling is done. 

Next you put them into brine (salmuera). This is a salt and water mix (approximately 2 kilos of salt to 15 litres water ). There is sufficient salt when a raw egg (in its shell) will float. Now you can add the flavourings. Use garlic with the skin on divided into cloves and crushed with salt in a mortar (just broken, not completely crushed), some slices of red and green peppers (pimientos ) which can be bruised a little in the mortar as well, and also fresh thyme, fennel, oregano and chopped lemons.

Store in the ceramic pot - YOU MUST NOT PUT YOUR HANDS IN OR THE WHOLE LOT WILL FERMENT AND BE RUINED !!!! Use a wooden draining ladle to lift them out. This method of pickling is only for immediate consumption.

To bottle for long term storage, only soak for one day in fresh water and then bottle in the brine mix with the herbs. 

These recipes are for green olives. Black olives are simply very ripe green ones! Being fully ripe they only need washing and immersing in the brine or in dry salt.

If you prefer to have olive oil, I recommend that you pick when they are still green because the black olives give a very strong oil - too much for the northern palate. Do not harvest before you are sure the mill is open that day, it is not good to leave the olives sitting around in sacks for very long. You will need between 500 to 600 kilos (12-15 sacks) if you want to have your own pressing . Take lots of plastic containers to the mill to collect your oil. It will be green - it goes yellow with storage. 

Happy Pickling!!!