I went to bootcamp this morning I expected to walk, do some push-ups, crunches and at least one minute of plank. What I was not expecting was to make a new friend and pick olives. Yet… that’s what happened.
Olive Picking - At The Park?
When I saw this older gentleman standing on a bucket reaching into the tree. I couldn’t walk by without finding out what he was doing and learning more. For some reason I was captivated.
Olives - Ripe and Ready to Pick
My new friend learned about picking olives from his mother in Lebanon. He comes to the park every year to harvest olives for the year. He made a point of telling me that olives need to be picked after the first rains, or the olives would be bitter. Who am was I to question?
Olive Making
I had to pick some to take home and try this for myself and as I perched on the borrowed bucket, I felt connected to these olives and my food in general. Who knew you could pick your own olives?
My new Lebanese friend said I’d be back every year if I tried it once! He also mentioned the olives you get from the store were treated with all kinds of chemicals… he had no clue about my passion and PND! I did some quick research and found conventional black olives are treated with caustic soda to remove their natural bitterness & Ferrous Gluconate for appearance.
He also gave me instructions – I haven’t tried this – but I will report back!
How To:
Place olives in a jar of water.
Replace the Water daily for a week. My quick google search said 10 days. Soaking naturally removes any bitterness!
After one week, add Salt & Olive Oil. Maybe Lemon.
That’s it. Store in the pantry or fridge. Enjoy.
Thank you to my new friend. You brought a little joy to my day and now I want to take the lil’s Olive picking.
Again. My Wordless Wednesday – not so wordless.
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