Brine-Cured Green Olives / Salamura Yeşil Zeytin
BRINE-CURED GREEN OLIVES: LONG-TERM OLIVE PRESERVATION
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Olives hold a special place in the heart of Mediterranean cuisine and in our family kitchen.
As a child, I remember gathering around a giant basin with my grandma and great-aunts, sorting and washing freshly picked olives from the orchard. The air smelled of salt water, lemon, and oak. The stories that passed around the table were just as rich as the olives we’d enjoy months later.
This long-term Turkish-style curing method preserves not only the olives’ natural firmness and colour, but also the ritual of togetherness. Using just salt, water, oak leaves, and lemon, this process protects the olives’ divine aroma and offers year-round nourishment. Grandma still insists this is the only proper way to make olives —sacred fruits like these deserve no less!
Ingredients
For the Olives
3 kg fresh green olives
2 L prepared brine (to be changed 4–5 times)
1 lemon
3–4 dried oak leaves
For the Brine (Prepare ~10L total for the curing process)
3 tbsp (~60 g) salt for every 1 L water
(Multiply by 5 to make 10 L of brine: 2L x 5 = 10L)
Directions
PREPARE THE BRINE
Bring water to a boil, add salt, and stir to dissolve.
Let cool to room temperature before use.
For ease, prepare 10 litres total (e.g., 2L x 5 batches) to cover multiple brine changes during the month-long curing process.
WASH AND JAR THE OLIVES
Choose green, firm, unbruised olives—they cure best and stay crunchy for up to 2 years.
Wash thoroughly and drain.
Place in a large, narrow-rimmed jar to minimize oxidation.
Pour in brine until olives are submerged.
Weigh them down with a clean stone or jar lid to prevent air contact.
Close loosely and store in a cool, dark place for 6 days.
EXTRACT THE FIRST BRINE
After 6 days, pour out the darkened brine and save it in the fridge—it will be reused later.
Refill the olive jar with plain water and soak for 4 days.
REMOVE THE BITTERNESS
After 4 days, drain the water, refill with fresh brine, and soak again for 4 days.
Alternate between plain water and fresh brine every 4–5 days, for a total of 6–8 cycles, depending on how bitter the olives are.
Taste to check: once the olives are mild, savoury, and no longer bitter, the curing is complete.
NATURAL FLAVOURING
Slice 1 lemon and remove seeds.
Coat the slices lightly with pickling salt and store in the fridge until use.
LONG-TERM PRESERVATION
Drain the olives from the final soaking liquid.
Tightly pack them into small jars—these reduce exposure and help keep the olives fresher longer.
Divide the First Brine (saved from earlier) evenly between jars.
Top off with fresh brine as needed.
Add a salted lemon slice and dry oak leaf to the top of each jar. These help prevent browning and add a wonderful nutty aroma.
Seal tightly and store in a cool pantry.
After 1 week in brine, your olives are ready to eat!
SERVING
In Turkish tradition, olives are not treated as pickles, but as a savoury breakfast side, enjoyed with warm bread, cheese, tomatoes, and fresh herbs.
Drizzle with olive oil and a squeeze of lemon juice before serving to highlight their flavour and texture.
[Notes from the Kitchen]
Use firm, green olives for best results. The greener they are, the longer they’ll last.
Narrow neck jars are key to reducing browning from oxygen exposure.
Always keep olives submerged with a weight or tightly packed layers. Air = Spoilage
First Brine is precious! It helps retain colour, firmness, and acts as a preservative. Don’t discard it!
Oak leaves contain tannins that help olives stay crisp and mold-free.
