I'm lucky to live in southern California where it's easy to grow an olive tree. When my tree produces olives ( I wait till they turn black) I pick and cure them. Fresh cured olives taste amazing and is quite easy to do. Many specialty markets sell raw olives or can order them for you. Here's how I do it:
Fill a large container with water and place the raw olives inside. Raw olives are very bitter, the water leeches out the bitterness. Change the water in the morning and evening with fresh water. Do this for about 2 weeks and test an olive. If it's still too bitter keep them in water for another week until they lose their bitterness. Then transfer the olives to a jar/s, I use mason jars, fill with salted water, 1 heaping tbs per 16oz jar. You can add some herb sprigs for flavor, rosemary works well. I also like to add 1-2 tbs of balsamic vinegar for sweetness. Seal and keep in the refrigerator, after a week they will be ready to eat.
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