Olives, Olive Oil, Olive Trees...

I grew up in Southern Mainland Greece.  A town called Elehorion.  Our family grew olives and we always had oil and olives on our dinner table. 

Olives ripen in mid November and most of he time we are still picking them after Christmas.  I remember that for any holidays my family and I would go to the farm and pick olives.  Olives can be prepared in so many different ways. 

Everybody knows Kalamata olives...they get there name from the city of Kalamata which grows many olives and figs.  When the olives ripen we prepare the brine using unrefined sea coarse salt & salt water.  Then we leave them in the brine for 3-4 months with herbs like oregano and Thyme.

Then we gently smash the olives with a stone and place them in the brine but change the water everyday for 2 weeks.  Then we place the olives in a jar with the brine, vinegar, and herbs.  These olives can be kept in the freezer.