Apple And Olive Tree

This year my fig tree has only about ten fruits, and very tiny.  It is a little disappointing.  However my husband – Rayner, his apple and olive tree are doing very well.  Especially the apple tree has a lot of fruits.  I am looking forward to have them fresh and also for cooking.   The olive tree is good too, but last year is better, we had a lot more olives.  I preserved the olives, and marinated with herbs and spices.  We had been enjoying the olives; I baked olive bread, baked pizza and sometimes we like to have them in mix salads.

Next month is the time for Rayner to harvest the apples and I can bake my apple galettes.  It is very exciting to harvest the fruits for the first time.

I am very proud that I could cook beautiful food from the produces of our back yard.

Pictures of the Apple Tree, Fig Tree, Olive Tree and Preserve Olives

Preserved  Olive  from  Our  Olive Tree

To Preserve Olives

Olives can be pickled when green or black

Our olive tree is a Kalamata olive, we pick when they are dark green to brownish.

Method:

1. Put the olive in a large container, submersed the olives into water. 
2. Place a clean plate on top to keep the olive under the surface (all olives must be under the liquid)
3. Change the water everyday for a fortnight (this process to get rid of the bitter taste of the olives)
4. The olives are now ready to be placed in jars into strong solution of brine.
5. Drain the olives in a bucket, to measure the amount of water that you need to make the solution of brine.
6. Dissolve salt in boiling water, I cup of salt (cooking salt) to 10 cups of water, and cool.
7. Place olives in a jar or jars and pour the brine over them, until the olives are completely submersed.
8. Topping up the jars with one centimetre of olive oil to seal, and to stop the air getting to olives.
9. Screw the lids on and store at least for 6 months or more at a cooler place.
10. When you are ready to eat your olives, pour out the preserving solution and fill the jar with clean cool water. (You do not need to do the whole lots, jut take out as many olives as you want)
11. Leave in the refrigerator for 24 hours and taste them.  If they are too salty, soak more in fresh water for 24 hours.  (The fresh water leaches some of the salt out of the olives)
12. The olives are now ready to dress.  I add some dried herbs, oregano, lemon thyme, lemon/orange peeled, bay leaves, and lemon juice and chopped red capsicums and offcourse some olive oil. 
13. Keep in jars and top it up with more oil then put the lids on.  I keep in the refrigerator; take it out at room temperature before eating.

(Information from how to pickled olives Sicilian’s style and simple recipe from Hunter olive Association)

Well, it is lucky ”Thirteen”.  Do step by step religiously then you will have good home pickled olives-table olives.

Have fun, and good luck.

Susy