I watched my neighbour and his wife spreading a net beneath their olive tree, ready for the harvest, this morning, and thought, "Oh, I wish I had some fresh ones". Then lo and behold, a friend brought these lovely green olives from her tree around this afternoon. They need to be bashed a bit and soaked in coarse salt and water [changed daily ] for 10 days before I can flavour them and some of you may remember I did this with black olives last year. I can pretend I am bashing the hell out of the blog-gagging Italian government when I set to with my hammer! [OK, I've calmed down now...] When my friend takes her olives to the collective press, I understand that she receives 13 litres of oil for 100 kilos of olives. Families and friends often "pool" their olives to make up this amount.
They look beautiful. It sounds very exotic to hear of olives being harvested!
ReplyDeleteI'm not a very good italophile in that I don't like olives!
ReplyDeleteWhen I was in Verona, I visited a winery which had a 2000 yr old olive tree on the property. Somewhere I have a photo of it.
Bash away, you'll feel better. Just don't break anything else.
It does sound exotic, but poor me doesn't care for olives. The trees are gorgeous, though, and it was such fun to go out in the grove while at a winery in Italy last year. I got lots of great photos of the trees, but wouldn't eat one if they were the last food on earth. Well....maybe then lol I guess I wouldn't make a very good Italiana.
ReplyDeleteFabulous! I hope you make your own Martini
ReplyDeleteHi, Liz. I still don't quite believe I live in a place where this happens! Jmb, I will probably break the hammer! Hi, Leslie. I once loved a man who didn't like olives. I think I got him to try just one in 5 years! The trees provide wonderful shade in summer and they are gorgeous, aren't they? Hi, WW. I make "Bunuel's martini"!
ReplyDeleteI never used to like Olives.... but since I met Geoff i have acquired the taste and now enjoy the green ones....
ReplyDeleteOH is it that time? I have to get back to Africa; I'm missing all the good stuff! I love to watch the boys climb the trees and shake the olives down to the friends below.
ReplyDeleteWL,
ReplyDeleteMr Eurodog has just discovered Limoncello and has asked me to tell you. Also I am to get a bottle when I go to the supermarket. He was taken to lunch in an ethnic Belgian restaurant and was offered it with coffee. It was served in a small glass in the shape of a boot.
Ooh, L'Ombre would love this post - the man of olives.
ReplyDeleteOh, how I love olives and here I have trees in my front yard and I've never bashed a one! I always thought curing olives was not only tedious but involved lye...or something as equally dangerous.
ReplyDeleteHave you considered an Olive liqeur?
ReplyDeleteIt might just eork you know.
I like olives, myself.
Yes, imagine the blogbanners...
Hi, Sally. Glad you're a convert! Oh, Lady M, you must come back and see it! Eurodog, congrtas to Mr Eurodog! Do get some and don't forget to put it in the freezer before using - cin-cin! Hi, James. L'Ombre des oliviers - I must pay him another visit. Pink, all you need is salt and coarse seasalt - a lot of the latter. Soak the olives in this mixture for 10 days, changing the misture daily. - You don't strictly need to bash them; it's up to you. After 10 days, soak them for another day in half vinegar and half water. then rinse very well indeed, pack into jars , cover with oil and flavour as you like. Crushed, now you're talking!
ReplyDeleteOh how I remember my first olive....just didn;t like it....but now I just can;t get enough of them...lovely stall on our market that sells all sorts of olives...
ReplyDeleteHi, Anne. Yes, they are an acquired taste..
ReplyDeleteIt seems such a lot of trouble, but is worth it. I wish they could take the stones out.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was little I assumed an olive was an exotic sort of grape... how BITTERLY disappointed I was to find out otherwise!
ReplyDeleteHi, ellee. Oh, I enjoy bashing my olives and processing them. You can take the stones out at the flavouring stage but I prefer not to. Hi, Gleds. Sorry about your BITTER disappointment! Do you like them now?
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