I have an elderly couple living a few doors away. I have seen them in
their garden and when I shop. Over the last couple of years they have
got a little more frail and don't do as much cooking as they used to
so I plate up a couple of meals a week in disposable containers and
drop them off to them. We always have more than we need.

Anyway, she knocked on my door today with half a bucket of olives and
her husband in tow. She is a tiny Maltese lady with a very strong
accent and very strong will. She proceeded to boss me and her husband
around and proceeded to show me how to brine olives. I have tried a
couple of times but gave it up as a never hit on a result that I was
pleased with, but, I have had her olives and so I let her boss me
around because she was imparting valuable passed down knowledge from
her great grandmother.

I have her permission to posty the method here, but before I do I need
to gather my thoughts, write it down and then double check I have it
right.

I am posting this small piece here now because she showed me something
I have never seen before.

The first step(s) is to make a strong brine for the olives and change
it every day for twelve days. Make the brine in the clean bucket after
dumping the olives in the sink. Put enough water in the bucket that it
will cover the olives easily and start adding salt and stirring to
dissolve. When I asked how much salt she answered in her strong accent
"You gotta egg?". I gave her an egg and she put it in the bucket with
the salty water and kept adding salt until the egg floated. The brine
was ready. Who knew?

JB