Marinating olives

More biscuits today. But I'm here to write about olives.
We love them and would eat loads if they were a bit cheaper, so when a friend showed me where I could purchase 1.7kg of plain Kalamata olives for quite a reasonable price, I was inspired to marinate my own for Christmas.

1.7kg unpitted Kalamata olives
 Fresh rosemary, sage, thyme and basil, finely chopped
1 tblspn mixed dried herbs
1tblspn fennel seeds
A few bay leaves
3 or 4 garlic cloves, finely sliced
Juice of one lemon
Enough olive oil to cover olives

Drain, rinse and dry the olives as best you can.
Combine herbs, garlic, lemon juice and 1 cup of olive oil in a bowl.
Layer olives and marinade in a suitable sized sterilised jar, adding extra olive oil to cover olives.
Seal and leave to marinate for at least a week before trying..... if you can wait that long!!

You could also use fresh oregano, marjoram and mint if you had some growing, which I didn't. I added extra garlic because we LOVE garlic. Next time I might try adding some chunks of lemon peel.

I made four of these large jars - two were a mix of kalamata and stuffed green olives - and I will give two of them as gifts. Of course, you could make several small jars instead of my one large one and add them to a small hamper of foody things or picnic goodies.

I'll have to tell the recipients that I was late with the making and they must wait for a few weeks before they eat their gift. Oh well, better luck next year!!