directions
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1
Gather about 4 gallons of olives
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2
Wash and clean thor- oughly then place in an oak or crockery container
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3
A vinegar barrel or 8 to 10 gallon stone jar is excellent. Cover with enough water so they can be stirred or agitat- ed with a wooden paddle. Pour 1 gallon of concentrated lye in the container and macerate for about 48 hours depending on the maturity of olives
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4
Stir several times daily to permit lye to work evenly
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5
Test several times by slitting fruit with knife to determine the action of the lye. Very ripe olives must be processed carefully to prevent crushing, or breaking the skins
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6
Very green olives can be cured, but will need a stronger solution, or a longer time for maceration, to soften and loosen from the seeds. After curing, wash olives thoroughly and soak in fresh water for 2 or 3 days, or longer to eliminate lye
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7
Change water occasionally, until it tastes fresh, or is neutral to litmus. To start brine: Dump in 1 pound of salt
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8
Add salt daily until suitable brine is formed
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9
This is not stable, and should be renewed occasionally
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10
Olives will keep much longer in a very heavy brine. WARNING: Do Not Seal! These olives should be kept in an open container
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11
Like all unpasteurized fruits and vegetables, if sealed they may develop the anaerobic Botulism bacillus, which is a dangerous organism
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12
An open container will prevent this dead- ly risk.
SPANISH OLIVES
ingredients
- As the settlers moved westward during the Frontier peri-
- od, they brought with them fixed ideas of their earlier cus-
- toms of dress, social and economic life, and methods of
- food preparation. They adjusted these customs quickly to
- meet to the needs of their new environment, drawing from
- Indian, Mexican and Spanish cultures along the way.
- Early immigrants to California were discovered a highly
- civilized Spanish culture and such delicacies as the fol-
- lowing--in use by the Spaniards since 1769!