We give you all our tips for preserving your olives!

How to preserve your freshly harvested olives for as long as possible? Discover our tips for tasty olives!

During the harvest, olives often arrive in large quantities. But how do you preserve them to enjoy them over time? Here are all the debittering techniques to remove the bitterness and enjoy delicious olives all year round.

First step: Debittering

Debittering is essential to make olives pleasant in the mouth, especially green olives. Unlike other fruits, olives cannot be eaten directly after harvest, even when ripe (black olives), because they are still too bitter and inedible.

Discover the main methods of debittering which, although they vary in duration and technique, each give a distinct flavor and texture to olives:

1. Soaking in water

This natural and simple method consists of immersing your olives in a large volume of clean water, changing the water every day. For black olives, a soak of 10 to 14 days is sufficient, while green olives often require up to 20 days. Although this method takes time, it is easy to implement and gives mild and subtle results.

2. "Salt Pricking"

The method of preserving with coarse salt, called "salt pricking", has been used for a long time, especially for black olives, which are naturally less bitter. Here's how to do it:

• Prepare a suitable container: Choose a container that allows water to drain, such as a perforated crate, and alternate layers of olives and coarse salt, starting and ending with a layer of salt.
• Let stand for 4 to 6 weeks: During this period, the salt extracts the water and bitterness from the olives, while seasoning them lightly. Stir regularly and add salt if necessary, because the extracted water dissolves some of the initial salt.
• Taste and rinse: From 4 weeks, taste the olives to check the taste. Once the bitterness is to your liking, rinse them quickly with clean water, then let them dry well.

This technique gives the olives a concentrated and intense taste, with a slightly wrinkled and firm texture due to the loss of water, which makes them unique.

3. Lye

Lye is a quick and effective method, particularly used for green olives. However, caustic soda is corrosive and requires specific precautions: wear gloves, safety glasses, and use a HDPE plastic or borosilicate glass container.

Here are the steps for this method:

• Preparation of the solution: For a first use, opt for a concentration of 1% (10 g of soda per liter of water). Add the soda to cold water (never the other way around) to avoid splashing.
• Soaking the olives: Place the olives in a suitable container and cover them completely with the soda solution.
• Checking the duration: Leave to soak for 8 to 12 hours. To check the progress, cut an olive in half after 8 hours: the solution should penetrate about two-thirds of the flesh. If necessary, extend the soaking time without exceeding 12 hours.
• Intensive rinsing: After soaking, rinse the olives several times to remove the soda. Soak for 4 hours, change the water, then repeat this cycle a second time. Finally, leave the olives in the water overnight. If the water remains cloudy, do a final 4-hour rinse.

Once rinsed well, the olives are ready for preservation in brine or olive oil with herbs.

Second step: Methods for preserving olives

1. Preserving olives in brine

Preserving olives in brine, used for centuries, consists of immersing the olives in a bath of salt and water to preserve their freshness. Immersed in brine, the olives are protected from air and external bacteria, while continuing to develop rich and intense flavors.

👉 Find our brine recipe here.

2. Cook your olives to keep them longer

If you prefer to diversify the flavors, cook your olives in tapenade! In addition to extending their shelf life, this guarantees that you are always ready for an aperitif. Tapenade is a delicious way to preserve olives while creating a tasty preparation.

👉 Discover our tapenade recipe here.

3. Preserving in olive oil

For a practical and ready-to-eat preservation method, opt for olives in olive oil! Here's how to do it:

• Drain the olives and place them in a clean jar, covered with olive oil.
• Add aromatic herbs (thyme, rosemary) or garlic for flavor.

Tip: Olive oil solidifies in the cold. Remember to take the jar out 15 to 30 minutes before eating so that it regains its fluid texture. After tasting the olives, reuse the oil for your dishes or salads! This method allows you to keep olives for 2 to 3 months in the refrigerator.

4. Freezing olives

For those who prefer ultra-simple preservation, freezing is an ideal option. Place olives in airtight containers or vacuum-pack them to prevent freezer burn.

Note: Olives may become slightly softer after thawing, but they are still delicious in tapenade or as a garnish for your dishes. This method will keep olives for about 6 months.

Another big question is, should you store them with or without the pits?

It is not necessary to pit olives before storing them, but it depends on how you want to use them later. Here are the pros and cons of both options:

Storing olives with pits

• Pros:
  • Olives with pits tend to retain their texture and flavor better.
  • The pit acts as a natural barrier that prevents the olives from softening too quickly.
  • They keep longer, especially in brine or oil.
• Cons: They require pitting before consumption.

Storing pitted olives:

• Pros:
  • Convenient if you intend to use them directly in dishes (salads, tapenades, etc.).
  • No need to handle the olives before use.
• Cons:
  • Pitted olives tend to lose their texture more quickly and can become softer over time.
  • They can also lose some of their flavor, as the pit helps retain some of the aroma.

In short, if you want a longer shelf life and better textured olives, it is best to leave them with their pits. If you need quick use, you can pit them before storage, but the shelf life will generally be shorter.