Whole Foods Market Giant Castelvetrano Olives, 150g

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Factor in marinating, seasoning, and stuffing the small fruits, and the result is an infinitely long olive menu—far too many to classify in a single article. The end products are “sweet“ olives, due to their low salt content, extremely crunchy, with the original deep bright green colour. This quick process gently removes all traces of bitterness and ensures the olives retain their colour and firm bite.

Brine-cured olives are often sweet and full of depth, since the brine acts to intensify the fruit's natural flavors. These gigantic green olives are harvested in Cerignola, in Italy's Puglia region, the heel of the boot. Now, you might ask yourself, what’s so special about the Castelvetrano olive… don’t all olives taste the same? We’ve served these to people who claim not to like olives, only to have them park themselves in front of the bowl. Locate Castelvetrano Olives in the Italian food section, the pickled condiment section or the deli department’s entertaining area (or olive bar.Unlike other table olives, which often offer tart and pungent flavors, the Castelvetrano olive is characterized by a natural buttery and creamy flavor, complemented by a mild brininess.

During the summer and right before the fall harvest, I seek out my friends in the Castelvetrano region with groves of Nocellara del Belice. We infuse our gorgeous green olives with a subtle blend of herbs and pit them for convenience in the kitchen. It is a natural process that means that they retain their vivid lush green colour and firm al dente texture. With time and attention, the olive tree, or Olea europaea in botanical lingo, flourished and evolved into the hearty tree we know today.

I use my Pianogrillo olive oil, but you could even choose an EVOO from a different region to play around with the aromas. I choose the olives of highest quality, and then send them to the laboratory next to my mill, where our cherry tomato sauce and tomato paste are also produced. Bright green, they're often referred to as dolce (sweet), and come from Castelvetrano, Sicily, from the olive variety nocerella del belice. Or rather, they transform from green to light brown, to a vibrant red and purple, to the deepest, darkest black. These large, green olives have a mild, buttery flavour that makes them popular table olives, though they are also used to produce olive oil.

The olives are cultivated with care and traditional methods and enjoy one of the finest climates in the Mediterranean with hot days, cool evenings, and coastal breezes. Some producers begin their curing process in a water bath, and then move their olives into a seasoned brine.These prized green olives are grown for table olives and for olive oil, and are DOP protected in the E. Sun/air curing: In some rare cases, olives can be fermented either on the branch or, once picked, by basking in the sunshine. The name is justified; these are some big, proudly fat olives, with plenty of firm, meaty richness to match their imposing size.