Brined Greek style Olives

Ingredients

Always use mature, fully colored (dark-red to purplish-black) fruit
to prepare this style of olive. You can use any variety, but be
sure the fruit is firm. It is most common to use the Manzanilla
and Mission varieties. The cured olives may be more or less
shriveled because of high-salt brine used to preserve them. Some
of the olives may fade in color during curing. In general, they
tend to darken again when exposed to the air.

Instructions

Sort out the defective fruits. Place olives in a container that can be airtight. A one quart glass jar is the smallest size recommended. Cover the olives with a brine containing 13 Tbsp salt (slightly more than 3/4 cup) per gallon of water. Fasten the lids loosely. Store the olives in a cool place (60- 80 degrees F). At the end of one week, replace the original brine with a brine made of 1 lb. salt (1-2/3 Cup) per gallon of water, leaving the covers loose. At the end of 15 days, replace the brine with one of the same concentration - one pound of salt (1-2/3 cups) per gallon and set the covers firmly. If pressure forms, carefully loosen the cover to release the gas and then close it firmly. If brine spews out, replace it with more containing one pound of salt (1-2/3 cups) per gallon of water. If you prefer less bitter olives, you can replace the one- pound-per-gallon brine at at one month intervals for two or three months after step 4. If you keep the olives airtight in brine, you can store them at least one year if the cover does not corrode through. There is no danger of spoilage or possible toxicity because of the high salt concentration of the brine. You can eat the olives within two months after preparation if you like fairly bitter olives. In any event, after two months in the strong brine, you can use them for cooking in tamale pies and similar dishes. It is desirable to soak the olives in water overnight to reduce the saltiness before eating them. Store any uneaten olives in the refrigerator. It is best to place the desalted olives in a solution containing one part red wine and one part red wine vinegar and float a layer of olive oil on the surface. Since the olive oil may congeal in the refrigerator, allow the olives to sit at room temperature until the oil has melted before serving.