All that is required is patience, your olives, a rolling pin or a paring knife, canning salt and a non-reactive container. You can cure olives at nearly any stage, but the really tiny green ones aren't worth it. Green olives are green colored; red ripe olives have a reddish 'blush' to them (if you have olives, you know what I mean); black (or dead) ripe olives are deep black throughout. Just make sure that the black ripe olives are still firm. Don't cure "drops," or olives that have fallen to the ground. You've got several choices, depending on your curiosity and your dedication.

Water curing. (Difficult) Generally you water cure the big green ones, right before they turn red. You pick the olives, crack each of them with a rolling pin, then immerse them completely in cold water, changing the water each day for at least 25 days. Stir them up when you think about it. Immerse and change the water, then taste one after 25 days. If they are too bitter, keep this up until they are edible.

Brine curing. (Medium) Brine cured red-ripe or black-ripe olives are Greek-style; brine cured green olives are Sicilian style. The red-ripe olives generally turn a grey green to pink, while the black-ripe ones keep their color, becoming a Kalamata-deep purple. Again, you pick the olives, or you shake the tree over a tarp, and collect the olives. Deeply slit each one using a sharp paring knife, then plunk them into a brine (brine is 1/4 cup canning or rock salt in 1 quart water).

Weight down the olives, make sure they are fully immersed. Cover your vat of olives, stir once in awhile, wait one week. Rinse, and change the olive brine once per week for at least 3 weeks. Taste, and if it is still too bitter, then keep changing the brine once per week. Generally they take about 6 weeks. Scum will form on the top of the vat; its harmless if olives are immersed, but get rid of it when you see it.

Lye curing. (Easy) You always lye cure green olives. If you bubble air through the lye solution, those green olives turn black; the California black olive is born. You pick the olives, then clean them. Save a few of your biggest olives for the top of your vat. Immerse all those olives in a lye solution (2 tablespoons flake lye in 1 quart of water) for 12 hours. Dispose of lye solution, reimmerse olives again in new lye solution for 12 more hours. Take and cut into some of your largest olives to see if the lye penetrated the olive (olive will be soft to the pit, easy to cut to the pit, and the flesh will be yellowish green when ready). Soak olives in water for 3 days, changing the water at least 3-4 times per day. Taste an olive on the fourth day. Should taste sweet and fatty, with no bitterness, a little like a tiny avocado. Immerse for 1 week in a light brine, about 6 tablespoons salt in a gallon of water. Remember: Lye is nasty, wear rubber gloves, use lemon juice or vinegar to neutralize lye burns, and your olive vat shouldn't be plastic.

Marinades. You can also make marinades for your cured olives, good flavors/herbs to use in various combinations are: garlic, bay leaf, oregano, thyme, dried chilies, fennel seed, peppercorns, coriander seed, orange peel, lemon peel, lemon slices, and cumin seed.