Every autumn the olive tree hanging over our balcony drops its fruit everywhere. And every year I have wondered if they are edible. Finally this year I picked a handful and tried them out. They sat for 40 days in a bowl on the kitchen bench soaking in water which I changed every second day. Finally after 40 days I drained them and covered them with salt for two days. Then I rinsed them and packed them in a sterilised jar with thyme, garlic and lemon, and covered with olive oil and red wine vinegar. Two weeks later we finally had our first tentative tasting. Would they taste OK? And more importantly – would they poison us!

They are definitely edible and we are still alive, but next time I would use less vinegar and stick with the oil. Yes – there will be a next time but it will have to wait until next year. Olive season is well and truly over in NZ.

(Yes, those really are my olives in the photo above)

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Related: Home-made olive recipe at iChef