Olives

[Avatar]

Couldn't think of a thread to put this in, so am starting one.

I love black olives, and I've recently gotten a huge jar of them that are really fantastic, except for one thing. They're a perfect texture and firmness, which is vital of course, but they're a little bitter.

Anyone know if there is anything I can do, (like add to the jar) that will leach out the bitterness?

--A

[Menolly]

Couldn't think of a thread to put this in, so am starting one.

I love black olives, and I've recently gotten a huge jar of them that are really fantastic, except for one thing. They're a perfect texture and firmness, which is vital of course, but they're a little bitter.

Anyone know if there is anything I can do, (like add to the jar) that will leach out the bitterness?

--A

I've never brined fresh olives, but I've heard the brine intially contains lye. Perhaps you need to brine them in the jar and them rinse them?

[Lorelei]

I don't know too much about olives cause I don't like 'em, but I seem to recall that there is a specific type of black olive that is very bitter.....maybe you have those kind. As far as removing the bitterness.....be like me and don't eat them.

[Avatar]

No! I want these olives.

Thanks for the suggestion Duchess, I'm going to have to check them again, 'cause I think they're in a mixture of brine and oil. But maybe rinsing them, or soaking them in straight salt water will help.

I was thinking along the lines of sloe berries, you know? Where they remove the bitterness from gin or vodka? Excet for olives, obviously.

--A

[stonemaybe]

You know some olives come stuffed with pimento? Apparently this is to make them taste less bitter. So maybe try doing some stuffing of your own?

A couple of months ago I realized that the thing on the handle of my garlic crusher was a de-stoner. I have had so much fun with my olives since!

I've never tried to stuff them though.

[Avatar]

Good idea, except I hate stuffed olives. Still, I wonder if removing the stones before rinsing them will help.

(Oh, and whatever it is that comes out of those garlic-crushers is not garlic. If you're too lazy to peel and crush your own garlic, you don't deserve to eat it. )

--A

[stonemaybe]

You've confused me Avatar!

When I say garlic crusher I mean something that looks a little bit like a nut-cracker with a sort of box on the end where you put the garlic clove, close the arms and one of the walls of the 'box' squeezes the clove and the crushed garlic comes out of the small holes in one side of the 'box'. Then you got to clear out the 'skins' of the cloves.

Is that what you're thinking of?

[Menolly]

Here in the states, we call that a garlic press. This is the one I have:




However, I rarely use it, as it's a pain to clean and the crushed garlic is generally too finely minced for me. I prefer to whack the unpeeled clove with the side of my chef's knife, peel the peel away, and then chop it by hand with said knife.

[stonemaybe]

You're garlic press/crusher looks a bit posher than mine, Menolly! BUT as previously mentioned mine has got the de-stoner!

Likewise I prefer to chop my garlic than crush it.

In fact, from now on I'm gonna call my device my olive de-stoner, that happens to have a garlic crusher on the end!

[drew]

Olives?

Garlic?

Lets just get some sundried tomatos, some Olive oil, and a nice loaf of toasted Italian Bread and have a big feed of Bruchetta!!

[High Lord Tolkien]

I've never had an olive.
I don't even think I've even touched one.
They might be evil, I'm not sure.
Do they grow in the ground like potatoes?


Seriously, I've never knowingly eaten one.
That's it, I'm just throwing that out there.

[Damelon]

Black or green, don't really care for them.

[drew]

you two poor poor men.
I love Olives, black, green, pickled, fresh, stuffed. Mmmm Mmm MMM!

Love 'em on a pizza, on a sub, in spagetti sause, on their own.
and GReek salad, oh man...Black olives on a greek salad with lots of fetta cheese, sun dried tomatoes, green peppers, cuccumbers and lots of OLIVE oil and balsamic vinegar.

It's no surprise that is was an olive branch that Noah's dove found; that was one smart bird. (Noah should have cooked it WITH the olives!)

[Avatar]

That was exactly what I was talking about StoneMaybe. And Menolly's answer is the real way to do it.

I prefer to whack the unpeeled clove with the side of my chef's knife, peel the peel away, and then chop it by hand with said knife.

I was just being (a little) facetious.

As for you poor non-olive eaters, I too pity you. (Tree's HLT. )I have found them to be something of an acquired taste really though. I never used to like black olives, and I still don't care for the green ones much. But I love the black olives now.

*sigh* I thought I may have gotten some additional suggestions...it seems not though...oh well...will experiment.

--A

[sgtkafka]

After curing, olives are washed and then are usually stored in brine, which allows them to ferment and preserves them for long periods of time. The lactic fermentation of olives is a slow process caused by the action of yeast and bacteria, both of which occur naturally on the olives. The longer olives are allowed to ferment, the less bitter they become. "Processed" olives are those that have been through a lye bath, while those cured in oil, brine, water or salt are simply known as "oil-cured," "brine-cured," "water-cured," or "dry-salted olives."

[Avatar]

Aha! Some information I can use. Thanks Sgt. From that, I deduce that if I simply leave them to stand, they're eventually become less bitter?

I'm pretty sure these haven't been through a lye-bath. They're not commercially packaged or anything...just a preserve jar-full.

--A

[sgtkafka]

do they have a processing date on them? try letting them stand.

[Avatar]

No date as far as I can remember, but will check.

I'll give them a while and try again... Thanks Sgt.

--A