Many think that black olives represent a different variety, but actually all olives, when ripe, assume a pastel, pale colour and they’re used to obtain oil. On the contrary, olives left on trees, since they overripe, become black. To tell you the truth there are also some varieties of olives that become black soon and are very big: they’re quite proper for being eaten.
Gather black olives, prick with a fork and spread abundant salt over. Expose them to direct sun light for a few days, but place them in a basket to let the moisture squeeze out. Change salt (put less now) and wait for a further few days to lose their bitter taste. This point olives can be eaten with bread or in different ways (remove the salt over them, also rinsing if they must be added to pasta or something else). If you prefer them baked, put them in a moderate oven for 20 minutes: they wither but keep good for a long time.
