Jarred Olives - How Long In Fridge?

[BreezyCooking]

How long do you feel jarred olives safely last in the fridge once opened, & do you do anything special to ensure or extend that refrigerated shelf life?

When I open a jar of roasted red peppers, I always top the jar off with vinegar every time I remove some, & have found this extends the shelf life considerably. I've never tried this with olives, but was wondering if it was worth it.I really like different kinds of olives - everything from the regular pimiento-stuffed & California blacks, to the oil-cured & brine-cured European types. All too often though, I end up with multiple opened jars of olives in the fridge, & can never tell if they're still "good" or not. Of course, if the liquid shows any murkiness or milkiness or there's any other obvious signs of possible spoilage, out they go.I opened up a large jar of "salad olives" the other day, which are just small green pimiento-stuffed olives that were damaged in process, so are sold cheaper than the whole-stuffed ones. I find them economical to add to salads & recipes where I'd be chopping them anyway. Anyway, I noticed that about an inch of the olives are now completely uncovered by the jar liquid. Should I top this up with vinegar so that they're covered? Does it make a difference with olives?

So I guess the gist of all this is: how long do you feel olives last opened in the fridge, & do you add anything to the jar to prolong the shelf life?

 

[jennyema]

A scary amount of time. I have had green stuffed martini olives for years, probably. You are right that you need to keep the acidified.

 

[Andy M.]

...When I open a jar of roasted red peppers, I always top the jar off with vinegar every time I remove some, & have found this extends the shelf life considerably...

I always buy the smallest jar of roasted red peppers because they spoil so quickly. I've never added vinegar to the jar, though. The peppers I buy aren't packed in vinegar. Vinegar would change the taste considerably.

I also find that olives last a long time.

 

[BreezyCooking]

I agree that the vinegar does change the flavor of the peppers, but since I use them primarily in salads or just as a garnish to broiled fish or chicken, it's not that bad, & a quick rinse under cold water reduces the vinegar taste even further.

It does really, really increase the fridge shelf life though.

 

[Andy M.]

I agree that the vinegar does change the flavor of the peppers, but since I use them primarily in salads or just as a garnish to broiled fish or chicken, it's not that bad, & a quick rinse under cold water reduces the vinegar taste even further.

It does really, really increase the fridge shelf life though.

I'll give it a try. Thanks.

 

[BreezyCooking]

Oh, & I don't drain the jar & replace it all with vinegar. All I do is every time I remove a pepper from the jar, I top the liquid up to cover the contents with vinegar (usually just plain white vinegar).

 

[jennyema]

If you don't use vinegar, you can use citric acid, which doesn't affecte the taste as much.

 

[licia]

If you have olives that you want to use up, a good way is a sandwich. Spread softened cream cheese on a slice of bread and line olives (pitted of course) on edge. Roll starting with olive side. Place seam side down and cover with plastic wrap til needed. Slice into pinwheels. Easy and delicious.

 

[BreezyCooking]

Licia - my mom used to make olive & cream cheese sandwiches for me to take to school as a kid & I LOVED them (even though none of the other woefully gastronomically uninformed kids ever offered to trade with me). No pinwheels though - just regular sandwich style.

 

[Hopz]

I have kept olives for a long time.
When you do want to use them, soak one or two on a thoothpick, in a good quality gin or vodka. Then pour over ice and drink. I think you will find that the olives thusly marinated will taste just fine.

 

[BreezyCooking]

And then of course you can blame the "trots" you might get from overkept olives to the vodka &/or gin, right? LOL!!!!

 

[jennyema]

Plus you don't notice the musty taste of decaying olives that much when marinated like that!

 

[BreezyCooking]

I have to admit that I do keep an indelible marker by the fridge & date nearly everything I open, but that only means something if I know their shelf life - lol!!

 

[Constance]

I buy big jars at Sam's for such a good price I can afford to throw some away, if need be, but they do last a LONG time. The jar I have in there now has been opened a year, I'm sure.
That's the green, brined ones.
I've never been sure about the canned black ones, so never kept them longer than a week or so.
I just looked this up...see what you all think:

http://www.lindsayolives.com/olives101/curing.html

 

[Claire]

I, personally, think you can tell when olives get bad pretty easily. They last a long, long time in the fridge. To keep them the longest possible time, make sure you use a clean fork or spoon to take them out of the jar, and if it is a huge jar, wipe the inside of the lid and the rim of the jar with a paper napkin every once in awhile. We love olives so much I've rarely thrown a jar out. But then, I'd never consider buying a gallon jar (there are just two of us!). Small jars have lasted a month or more.