How we Pickle Kalamata Olives at Rozendal

The Royal Family of olives, the Kalamata, are known for their intense burst of flavor, firm-to-the-taste texture and are a favourite for us to pickle at Rozendal Farm. We have just picked our first small batch of Kalamata from the trees growing in pots around the old farm shed and our next step is to pickle them using the brine curing method.

Rozendal Kalamata Olive Pickling Recipe

The first step in our olive pickling process is where we take the ripened fruit and soak them in water for 2 weeks, replacing the water every day until there is 5 percent salt brine content.

The olives then remain submerged in this salty brine solution for 4 weeks as they slowly lose their bitterness. After a month of soaking, the taste test will establish whether they are ready to be released from their briny bath.

Once the olives have lost their bitter character we make more brine for their bottling.

Here we add the magic to the alchemy with 1 litre of our Rozendal Green Tea Vinegar, combined with 4 litres of water and 200g of salt. The Green Tea Vinegar is one of the four varieties curated on our farm – together with our Fynbos, Lavender and Hibiscus selection.

Once removed from the brine, we place the olives in bottles, add rosemary twigs and pour the brine over. This will be their home for 4 weeks as they slowly develop their full pickled Kalamata flavor.

How to eat our Kalamata Olives

Imagine if you will a picnic basket with a loaf of crusty bread wedged between cured meat and a block of extra matured cheddar cheese or a tub of feta. There’s also a side of crunchy fresh salad and a bottle of chilled Chardonnay or Chenin. And of course, the all-important treasure – our pickled Kalamata olives.

Now all that’s left to do is find your perfect resting place on our farm, with blanket and book in hand. Then relax in the solitude of the countryside as you unleash the contents of your basket for your Mediterranean feast followed by a gentle siesta.