Olives!
Not only are delicious, but to me are the most precious. Olives are earth’s way of taking care of us, like a mother nurturing a child, the earth nurtures us with the olive tree. From its shade to protect us from the sun, to its wood to burn a fire if need be, to its highly nutritious fruit that nurtures and detoxes our bodies, and its precious oil that does the same, and lights our homes if needed to even making soap to cleanse all that is no longer useful. The olive tree, its olives and oil are the story of a terroir, of the earth and in the Palestinian case are the story of a people. I have a full section in my book Plated Heirlooms that dives deep into the significance of the olive tree, its fruit and oil to the Palestinian people from a historical, cultural as well as a spiritual perspective. I delve deep into the olive world, from planting, to harvest and its customs, to even extraction of oil and brining of the olives (both types). Then I tell you the custom of naming olive trees and planting trees for newborns as well as baptising children with this precious oil… Make sure to grab a copy and read this beautiful story.
For here though, I am sharing with you my olive brining recipe. It is really simple and produces amazing olives for you to enjoy with your family and loved ones. This is the same recipe we follow in making my DS Organic Olives in Brine. If you can make your own great, if not I have an outstanding product for you to buy.
Let’s check this out…