We are anticipating our main Olive Oil Harvest. Because olives are pressed immediately after harvest, we have to wait until the local Oleficio (Olive Press) is open for business for the season and Signor Raimondo (the gentleman who is helping me with my orchard) has time to manage the harvest.
In the meantime, Rose is has been busy preserving ripening olives for our home use. It is a multi-step process and she has been working on them for the last couple of weeks. She disappears into her little kitchen workspace periodically, and works on the various types of olives. Here are the procedures Rose has developed and follows:
Passuluna (Oil Cured Olives)
“Passula” is Sicilian for Raisin. “Passuluna” (pronounced pah-ss-uh-luh-nah) is a ripe olive that is treated with salt until it loses some of its moisture and becomes wrinkled, literally a large raisin.
There are specific black Passuluna varieties of olives. There is a Classic Variety that I don’t have in my olive grove and a Passuluna Moderna (Modern Variety) that I do have in my olive grove. Signor Raimondo gave us a bucket full of Classic Passuluna and we harvested a bucket of Passuluna Moderna. Rose has been working with both of them.
Passuluna Processing Steps
- Harvest olives when they turn black.
- Spread ripe olives in trays or racks and place in sun. This process may take several days. (We bring them inside at night.) They are ready for the next step when they begin to wrinkle.
- Place sun cured olives in bowl, add small amount of salt and mix often. This process can take several days as well. They are ready for the next step when the olives are soft to the touch and wrinkled.
- Wash olives several times to remove excess salt.
- Blanch the olives: Place in boiling water. When water returns to boil, cook for about three minutes.
- Drain well, cool, and blot dry with a clean towel.
- Add olive oil to coat the olives, stir well, place in plastic bags or freezer safe containers and freeze.
- Rose likes to freeze in “single-serving” portions, which for her, means one to two cup containers.
Passuluna are ready to be enjoyed as appetizers, or in cooking. Rose uses Passuluna in pizza, seafood dishes, stews, breads, wherever a salty, slightly bitter bite makes sense.
Completed Passuluna
Ulivi Scacciati (Crushed Olives)
Ulivi Scacciati (pronounced uh-leevee ska-chih-ah-tee)
Rose is also preserving green olives. This version uses a salt and water brine as a preservative. She disappeared into her work kitchen, following a pounding sound, we found Rose cracking green olives with the bottom of a heavy water glass. This is the first step to making Ulivi Scacciati.
Ulivi Scacciati Processing Steps
- Crush olives. Rose uses a thick water glass. I have used a meat pounder.
- Soak crushed olives in room temperature water, changing the water at least once a day for 3 days.
- After the 3 day soak, drain olives.
- Prepare brine. For each kilo of olives, combine 1 liter of boiling water and 100 grams of salt. Stir until salt dissolves and cool brine.
- Add crushed olives to brine ensuring olives are covered with liquid.
- If desired, add bay leaves and/or rosemary, and garlic.
- Let stand at room temperature for at least 15 to 20 days.
- Olives are ready to use when they are no longer bitter.
Ulivi Scacciati can be served as an appetizer or side dish or they may be used in recipes. There are many variations for seasoning Ulivi Scacciati. Rose’s preferred seasoning for an appetizer is: Olive Oil, sliced celery, grated carrots and red pepper flakes and a bit of minced or sliced garlic.
Completed and Seasoned Ulivi Scacciati
Sicilianissimi in America 
Yummmmmmmmm this all look delicious
They are Debbie! I love that they are from my own trees. We harvested olives and pressed extra virgin olive oil too! Will write about it soon.
love everything you two do!!!!❤️❤️❤️
We are having fun working together.
ohhhh my Gosh Jo And Rose these look DELICIOUS
They are! Also satisfying to use something from our own land.