I started noticing them in early autumn, hanging enticingly on the trees, cajoling me to "come back in a month. Bring a bag, and bring your BF."
So, I came back with both. We gathered three huge bags of ripe olives that stained my bags light purple, and made them smell like, well, olive oil.
I brined them that night, individually washing each precious little olive jewel, and cutting down its belly to welcome the brine. They sat on our kitchen counter, smiling fat and purple from their glass jars, oozing slightly with salt and scent, for two months (with 1 brine-change and overseas adventure, in the middle).
I removed the brine last week, and added salt, vinegar, local herbs, and oil. The flavors sit and infuse now, and will be ready to eat shortly. We have enough to last us until the next harvest, next autumn.
I am so grateful for our local bounty.
Creating relationships with our local landscape by gathering, preparing, and eating local food likewise creates an internal landscape of joyful resilience. Plus, the food tastes and feels better. It's FUN.
What are you eating from your home landscape?
