Olives

Close to us there are loads of abandoned olive groves. Walking the dog on the garrigue it is fascinating to come across properly organised groves in the midst of overgrown heathland. The trees were all abandoned to the wild in 1956 after an awful frost ("la grande gelée") killed off the entire crop. There's still some cultivated olive trees in the area, but these are abandoned despite the fact, we have been told, that with a bit of judicious pruning the trees would all be fine. As if to prove this, this year some of the so-called infertile trees are covered with olives. Taking internet advice I have waited until they are yellow before picking them, and today filled a great big bag. According to more internet advice they need to be soaked in brine for a while, so that's what's happening now - I have a big pot of olives soaking in a brine and lemon juice mixture. I will have to change the brine every two or three days, and then after a couple of weeks transfer them into some conveniently saved jam pots, where they will sit in flavourful mixtures for a couple of months before we try eating them. I hope to be scoffing them at Christmas, accompanying some nice local wine - which kept going locally after the "grande gelée" courtesy of the wonderful M. Christiane Ader.