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HOW LONG DO JARRED OLIVES LAST AFTER OPENING
Do you love the briny, tangy taste of olives but aren’t sure how long they stay fresh? Olives are a versatile ingredient perfect for appetizers, salads, pasta dishes, and more. But like any perishable food, olives can go bad if not stored properly.
This article will cover everything you need to know about olive shelf life. You’ll learn how to tell if olives have gone bad, how long do jarred olives last after opening how long olives last in the fridge and pantry, how to store olives to maximize freshness, and more olive storage tips.
Read on for the definitive guide to keeping olives tasting great.
A Quick Overview of Olive Shelf Life
The shelf life of olives depends on a variety of factors:
- Unopened olives – Will last 12-18 months past the sell-by date if stored properly in a cool, dark pantry.
- Opened olives – Will last 4-6 weeks in the fridge when stored in their original brine or oil.
- Fresh olives – Should be eaten within 2 weeks of harvesting, or preserved in brine/oil.
The key to maximizing olive freshness is storing them in their liquid brine or oil, keeping air exposure to a minimum, and refrigerating after opening. Properly stored, unopened olives can last over a year in the pantry, while opened olives will stay fresh for 4-6 weeks in the fridge.
Now let’s look at olive shelf life and storage in more detail.
How to Tell If Olives Have Gone Bad
It’s important to know the signs of spoiled olives, so you don’t accidentally eat them past their prime. Here’s what to look for:
- Soft or mushy texture – Fresh olives should be firm. Softness indicates spoilage.
- Off odors – Olives that have gone bad will smell unpleasant, musty, or odd. Trust your nose!
- Mold – Look closely for white, blue, or green fuzzy mold, especially on olive surfaces. Discard any moldy olives.
- Cloudy or foamy brine – The liquid should look clear and fresh. Cloudiness, film, or bubbles indicate microbial growth.
- Dry, shriveled olives – Olives stored in opened containers can dry out. They won’t be pleasant to eat.
- Change in color – While natural darkening is normal, excessive blackening, greening, or unnatural colors signal deterioration.
When in doubt, remember the old adage – “When in doubt, throw it out!” Bad olives aren’t worth risking foodborne illness.
Shelf Life of Unopened Olives
Let’s start with unopened jars, cans, or pouches of olives, purchased from the grocery store.
Unopened olives stored properly can last 12-18 months past the “best by” date.
The key factors:
- Ingredients – Olives packed in brine will last longer than dry-cured olives. Olives in vinegar have a shorter shelf life.
- Container – Airtight jars, cans, and pouches protect olives from air exposure that accelerates spoilage.
- Storage method – Store containers in a cool, dark pantry or cupboard. Avoid warm spots near the oven.
- Sell by date – This is the main guide for shelf life. Buy olives as fresh as possible.
- Best before end date – Consume olives within 18 months for the best flavor and texture.
As long as the container is intact, the olives look and smell normal, and storage conditions are good, unopened olives remain safe to eat for well over a year. Let your nose guide you!
How to Store Unopened Olives
To get the maximum shelf life out of your unopened olives:
- Store containers in a cool, dark kitchen pantry or cupboard. Aim for around 70°F.
- Avoid warm spots like near appliances, as heat shortens shelf life.
- Keep olives away from direct sunlight, which can cause fading.
- Store olives with the oldest packages in front to ensure first out rotation.
- After opening, refrigerate olives to extend their shelf life.
- Once opened, reseal containers tightly or transfer olives to a non-reactive storage container.
- Freezers can extend shelf life but may soften olives’ texture. Frozen olives are best for cooking.
With proper, cool, and dark storage, unopened jars of olives will stay pantry-stable for over 12 months. But for the absolute best quality and flavor, try to finish olives within a year of purchase.
Shelf Life of Opened Olives
Once you break the airtight seal on a container of olives, oxygen exposure will shorten their shelf life. Here’s how long opened olives last:
- Refrigerated: 4-6 weeks
- Pantry: 1-2 weeks
The fridge is the key to maximizing opened olive shelf life!
For the absolute best quality, use opened olives within 4 weeks. If the brine remains clear and the olives look and smell normal, they can last up to 6 weeks in the refrigerator. At room temperature, opened olives will only stay fresh for about 1-2 weeks before quality declines.
Other tips for getting the longest shelf life from opened olives:
- Transfer to an airtight container to minimize air exposure.
- Ensure olives remain completely submerged in brine/oil.
- Watch for signs of spoilage like yeast growth, softening textures, or off smells.
- Don’t let olives or brine touch serving utensils to avoid cross-contamination.
- Refrigerate after opening, and use within 4-6 weeks for the best quality.
Follow proper olive storage methods, and your opened olives can stay delicious for a month or longer past opening!
Storing Different Types of Olives
There are many delicious olive varieties – each with its own unique storage needs:
- Green olives – Best stored in brine in a refrigerator. The discoloration is normal. Last around 4 weeks after opening.
- Kalamata olives – Refrigerate after opening, and leave submerged in the vinegar mixture. Eat within 1 month for the best flavor.
- Pitted olives – More prone to oxidation and spoilage once pitted. Keep refrigerated and use within 2 weeks.
- Tapenade – Refrigerate after opening. The added ingredients like garlic and herbs shorten shelf life to around 3-4 weeks.
- Oil-cured olives – Store in olive oil in the fridge, ensuring they stay submerged. Use within 6 weeks.
- Dry-cured/wrinkled olives – Refrigerate after opening to extend shelf life, up to 4 weeks.
- Canned black olives – Transfer the unused portion of the can to an airtight container. Refrigerate and use within 1 week.
Treat your olives right, keep air exposure low, and refrigerate promptly after opening for the best results with any olive type!
Storing Olives for the Long Run
Want to keep olives on hand for more than just a few weeks? Preserving and pickling methods allow safe long-term olive storage. Here are some go-to options:
- Canning – Sterilized jars, hot brine, and water bath canning can keep olives’ shelf stable for over a year.
- Freezing – Blanched and frozen in air-tight containers, olives can last 8-12 months in the freezer.
- Curing – Salt-curing or lye-curing green olives allows safe storage for several months.
- Pickling – Refrigerator pickling with vinegar brine keeps olives good for 2-3 months.
- Olive oil – Submerged in oil in a cool area, olives can last 2-3 months. Replace oil periodically.
- Salt packing – Layering olives with salt in a container keeps them preserved for up to 3 months.
With the right preserving know-how, you can enjoy delicious olives all year round!
Olive Brine & Pickling Liquid Shelf Life
The olive liquid – whether brine or oil – lasts as long as the olives when stored properly. But here are some general timelines:
- Unopened – 12+ months in a cool pantry.
- Opened – 4-6 weeks in the refrigerator is safest. Discard if very cloudy or foamy.
- Homemade pickling brine – Around 2-3 months stored in the refrigerator.
Don’t let serving utensils contact the brine, and discard if any mold, yeast growth, or unpleasant odors develop. Keeping olive liquid refrigerated and the container sealed is key!
Signs Olives Have Gone Bad
It’s important to watch for signs of spoilage, so you know when olives have passed their prime. Here are the top signs olives have gone bad:
- Soft, mushy texture – Fresh olives should be firm and crisp. Softness signals spoilage.
- Mold growth – Check for fuzzy white, blue, or green mold, especially on olive surfaces. Discard moldy olives.
- Discoloration – While some darkening is normal, excessive blackening, greening, or unnatural colors indicate deterioration.
- Dry or shriveled olives – Olives stored incorrectly may dry out. They won’t taste pleasant.
- Cloudy, foamy, or bubbly olive liquid – The brine or oil should look clear. Cloudiness or film means fermentation or microbial growth.
- Off odors – Trust your nose! Olives that have gone bad will smell unpleasant, musty, or odd.
When olives show any of these warning signs, play it safe and discard them. Don’t take risks with foodborne illness.
FAqs
HOW LONG DO JARRED OLIVES LAST AFTER OPENING?
A: When open and stored properly, jarred olives can last from 12 to 18 months in the refrigerator. Keep in mind, they must be stored in their original liquid and in a glass jar.
HOW LONG DO OLIVES LAST IN THE FRIDGE?
A: In general, jarred olives that have been continuously refrigerated will generally stay at their best quality for about 12 to 18 months.
HOW CAN I TELL IF MY OLIVES ARE BAD?
A: Bad olives generally have an off smell, and change in texture or color. If your olives smell odd or the brine appears cloudy, these may be signs that your olives have gone bad.
DO JARS OF OLIVES NEED TO BE REFRIGERATED AFTER OPENING?
A: Yes, once the jar of olives is open, you need to refrigerate it. The olives should be covered with their original brine in order to keep them fresh longer.
CAN YOU FREEZE OLIVES?
Yes, you can freeze olives but they may lose some of their crunchiness. Frozen olives can last up to a year.
IS THERE A DIFFERENCE IN THE SHELF LIFE BETWEEN GREEN OLIVES AND BLACK OLIVES?
A: Generally, the shelf life of green and black olives is similar provided they are stored correctly in a cool, dark place or in the refrigerator once opened.
HOW LONG DO KALAMATA OLIVES LAST?
A: When properly stored, opened jar of Kalamata olives should be consumed within 12 to 18 months for best quality.
CAN DRY OLIVES GO BAD?
Yes, dry olives can go bad if not stored properly. Keep them in a cool, dry, and dark place to maintain their quality.
HOW LONG CAN YOU KEEP OLIVES IN OIL?
A: Olives packed in oil can last a long time, usually between 12 to 18 months if refrigerated properly. It’s important that the olives remain submerged in the oil.
DOES AN OPEN JAR OF OLIVES NEED TO BE STORED IN A DARK PLACE?
A: Yes, it is recommended to keep opened jar of olives in a dark and cool place, usually the refrigerator is ideal.
Key Takeaways
- Unopened olives stay fresh 12-18 months past the sell-by date if stored properly in a cool, dark pantry.
- Opened olives last 4-6 weeks in the fridge when kept submerged in brine/oil.
- Signs olives have spoiled include soft texture, mold, bad smells, or foamy brine.
- Refrigerate opened olives, monitor for spoilage, and use within 4 weeks for best quality.
- Preserving methods like canning, pickling, or curing allows safe long-term olive storage.
I’m Ian Welkins, a seasoned professional in the kitchen industry. My passion now drives me to provide invaluable insights into the world of top-notch kitchen products. With years of hands-on experience, I’m your go-to source for culinary excellence.
