A have a tiny bit of experience in preparing a handful of olives to eat after last year’s harvest in the Food Garden of the Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens (RTBG) – refer here. Recently I was excited when a new windfall was given to me by friends.

Rather than brining, these olives were checked and some sent to the compost pile, the rest washed and then loaded into an old clean pillow case.

Over this I poured a considerable quantity (yes very scientific) of non-iodised fine sea salt so that I could move the olives around and was sure all were covered in salt.

The bag was tied, and now hangs underneath my house. It will stay hanging for at least 6 weeks.

When I see a greyish salty ooze crusting the bottom of the pillow case, and then when I feel it is time (again incredibly scientific!!!) I will empty the bag, rinse off the salt and store them in jars full of extra virgin olive oil.