Food I'm Eating: The Olive Project--Herbed Olives

It's been a couple of months since I tried brining olives at home for the first time. It went well and was easy enough that I was inspired to lay down more olives today--about 2,000 more. Our tree is still heavy with fruit even after today's harvest, and the original supply of finished olives is already dwindling.

The fruit is noticeably bigger now. I guess the olives are that much riper than they were back in January. In the meantime, I've been experimenting with different ways to eat the olives I've already made. Tonight I added olive oil, rosemary, raw garlic, and Meyer lemon zest to a bowl of finished olives, and they are very tasty indeed.

My original post on the subject of making olives at home is here: The Olive Project. Also see The Olive Project Continued.

Food I'm Eating: What are these?

These bright green globes are one of the most delicious olives I've ever tasted. They are called Castelvetrano olives, after their place of origin, in Sicily (near the western tip of the island, but towards the southern shore--on the opposite side from Palermo). Available recently at our local Whole Foods store and at Oliver's, up the road. These have a wonderful mild flavor. There has been some variation from batch to batch, but at their best, they have a distinctive texture--firm and meaty--yet, somehow, they manage to be rich and buttery at the same time. Delicious. I've been eating far too many of these lately.