Thus a variety of half a dozen kinds of olives can be devised for
a party at no more than the expense of one meager bottle.
Pushcart markets in big cities have recently begun to sell Cali-
fornia olives just as they are picked from the trees, of excellent
6o MOST-FOR-YOUR-MONEY COOK BOOK
quality, large and fat; and since they are purchased mostly by
Italian, French and Spanish housewives who pickle them at home
with the double purpose of serving a tasty product at a low cost,
they have remained cheap. Here is the way we pickled olives in
our kitchen in Southern France:
PICKLED GREEN OLIVES
Discard all imperfect fruits and those that have begun to turn
brown. Make a strong lye solution. We used ashes of olive wood,
but commercial lye will do, in the proportion of X pound of lye to
1/4 gallons of water. Place olives in an earthen jar, pour solution
over and stir with a wooden spoon. The first day stir 4-5 times
until all the fruit falls to the bottom of the jar. In a couple of days
force a sharp nail into one of the olives to see if the fruit can be
separated from the stone, then open it and observe whether the
caustic has penetrated all the way through the fruity outside.
This depends on the strength of the lye, which is not always of
uniform quality. If not ready, dissolve a couple of tablespoons of
lye in water and add to the solution, stirring thoroughly with the
wooden spoon, so that the fresh lye will reach the bottom layer of
fruit. Leave for a day and test again. Take olives out of the solution
with a skimmer, wash in fresh water until no vestige of lye remains,
then let them soak in fresh water for 8 days or so, changing it daily.
By this time the olives should have lost their bitterness — test
this by tasting. Then make the following pickling solution:
5 QUARTS COLD WATER 3 FENNEL TOPS
I POUND KITCHEN SALT PIECE OF ORANGE PEEL
8-IO BAY LEAVES >^ TEASPOON CORIANDER SEEDS✪ Pickled Green Olives
Boil all together for 5 minutes, and let cool. When completely
cold pour over the drained olives and let stand in the crock for
^-6 days, when they will be ready to eat. They may be packed in
glass jars, filled to overflowing with the brine. Then rubbers and
tops may be put on and they will keep like any pickles. The fennel
tops, which resemble dill tops, usually may be purchased from the
same vendor who sells the olives. A tablespoon of fennel seeds
might be substituted, but will not give quite the same flavor. The
SNACKS 6l
outer husk of coriander seeds must always be removed and only
the inner grain used.
Page 31 · 1 recipe record on this page
Presented as published in 1938. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
AI-modernized reading of the original text
Thus a variety of half a dozen kinds of olives can be devised for a party at no more than the expense of one meager bottle.
Pushcart markets in big cities have recently begun to sell California olives just as they are picked from the trees, of excellent
quality, large and fat; and since they are purchased mostly by Italian, French and Spanish housewives who pickle them at home with the double purpose of serving a tasty product at a low cost, they have remained cheap. Here is the way we pickled olives in our kitchen in Southern France:
PICKLED GREEN OLIVES
Discard all imperfect fruits and those that have begun to turn brown. Make a strong lye solution. We used ashes of olive wood, but commercial lye will do, in the proportion of 1/2 pound of lye to 1/4 gallons of water. Place olives in an earthen jar, pour solution over and stir with a wooden spoon. The first day stir 4-5 times until all the fruit falls to the bottom of the jar. In a couple of days force a sharp nail into one of the olives to see if the fruit can be separated from the stone, then open it and observe whether the caustic has penetrated all the way through the fruity outside. This depends on the strength of the lye, which is not always of uniform quality. If not ready, dissolve a couple of tablespoons of lye in water and add to the solution, stirring thoroughly with the wooden spoon, so that the fresh lye will reach the bottom layer of fruit. Leave for a day and test again. Take olives out of the solution with a skimmer, wash in fresh water until no vestige of lye remains, then let them soak in fresh water for 8 days or so, changing it daily. By this time the olives should have lost their bitterness — test this by tasting. Then make the following pickling solution:
5 QUARTS COLD WATER 3 FENNEL TOPS
I POUND KITCHEN SALT PIECE OF ORANGE PEEL
8-IO BAY LEAVES >^ TEASPOON CORIANDER SEEDS
Boil all together for 5 minutes, and let cool. When completely cold pour over the drained olives and let stand in the crock for 5-6 days, when they will be ready to eat. They may be packed in glass jars, filled to overflowing with the brine. Then rubbers and tops may be put on and they will keep like any pickles. The fennel tops, which resemble dill tops, usually may be purchased from the same vendor who sells the olives. A tablespoon of fennel seeds might be substituted, but will not give quite the same flavor. The
SNACKS 6l
outer husk of coriander seeds must always be removed and only the inner grain used.
Records on this page
Pickled Green Olives