This recipe is for green olives because they don't take long to cure and require no lye. These hard, green olives really don't require anything special except for lots of fresh water and daily attention.
To begin, the bitter juice must be released from the olives. So, the olives must be "cracked". To do this, use a palm sized rock and smash each olive and put into a plastic bucket. Before you start this adventure, go outside and put on an apron because you WILL get olive oil all over the place, including yourself. Cover the olives completely with cold water. Drain the water everyday and replace with more cold water. This method will leach out the bitterness in the olives. Continue this process for one month.
So, it's been a month of leaching. Now has come the time to taste your olives, are they bitter? If so, continue the leaching process. When the olives are no longer bitter, it's time to dry the olives. Preheat the oven to "low" or 150-170 degrees. Place a rack in a jelly-roll pan and put the olives on top of the rack. Place the olives in the oven, close the door and shut off the heat; keep in the oven overnight. The following day is flavor day! In a bowl mix the olives with minced garlic, salt to taste, and olive oil and vinegar. Use 2 parts oil to 1 part vinegar. Let these flavors come together for 2-3 days.
Store the olives in glass jars and keep refrigerated. The shelf life on these emerald gems are 1 1/2 to 2 months.
Bring the olives to room temperature before you mangia (eat)!
Remember, it's the process of life that counts. So, have fun and enjoy your olives!
people now know how to make olives!