How long do black olives last once opened?

Question

I opened a can of sliced black olives for my pizza and only used half. I put the leftovers into a sealed container with the liquid and put it in the fridge. Under those conditions how long will the olives last? Is there a better way to store leftover olives?

Fun fact: ordinary supermarket canned "black" olives aren't really black olives. They're green olives that have been subjected to a chemical process that turns them black. Real black olives ripen to that color. (From McGee's *On Food And Cooking*) — Pointy, Jul 27 '10 at 16:17
Sometimes you will see slimy, moldy looking bits floating on top of the liquid. This is most likely not mold, but solidifying oil and the olives are still good. You can tell that it is not mold by seeing if it melts outside the fridge. — user2215, Sep 28 '10 at 23:25
http://www.stilltasty.com/fooditems/index/17821 "One year or date on the bottle." and "Storage time shown for best quality only... in most cases they will still be safe to consume..." — Preston, Oct 02 '14 at 00:12

score 13 · Accepted Answer · answered Jul 27 '10 at 16:32

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Olives are basically cured in salt, so they will last a very long time. They will last even longer if kept in an air-sealed container in a refrigerator. They will last even longer than that if kept in a salty brine which covers them with liquid and minimizes exposure to air.

answered Jul 27 '10 at 16:32

Ocaasi

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Whats "very long time"? Couple weeks? – Lightsout Oct 09 '20 at 07:40
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Define “a _very long_ time.” – Константин Ван Jul 05 '21 at 19:25

score 6 · Answer 2 · answered May 07 '11 at 16:16

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I would drain them, put them in a glass jar and cover completely with olive oil. Maybe add some flavourings such as dried chilli or orange zest. Covered with oil in the fridge they should keep indefinitely.

answered May 07 '11 at 16:16

Suzy Bowler

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Preserving produce under oil long-term can be a botulism hazard, read up on all ingredients you add before doing that. – rackandboneman Aug 08 '16 at 16:34

score 2 · Answer 3 · edited Mar 10 '12 at 21:44

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If they are for cooking purposes, just drain, and freeze in portion sized bags.

edited Mar 10 '12 at 21:44

apaderno

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answered Mar 06 '12 at 01:09

TFD

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score 2 · Answer 4 · answered Feb 02 '13 at 19:25

According to "Keeping Food Fresh" by Janet Bailey,

Unopened cans of olives keep up to one year on a cool, dry shelf. Once you have opened a can, store the olives completely submerged in their own liquid in a covered container in the refrigerator for one to two weeks. Olives bought in bulk and stored steeped in oil keep several months in the refrigerator. Discard olives that have turned soft.

score 2 · Answer 5 · answered Jul 27 '10 at 15:24

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They should definitely be fine for at least a week when stored in the brine.

answered Jul 27 '10 at 15:24

Darin Sehnert

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You're a poet and you did not knowit. – Jeff Axelrod Feb 03 '13 at 18:23

score 1 · Answer 6 · answered Feb 01 '22 at 15:21

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LOL I have olives in oil refrigerated kept for many, many years, they are as good as fresh… Not one went bad…

answered Feb 01 '22 at 15:21

sextus pompeius

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score 1 · Answer 7 · answered Mar 06 '12 at 01:38

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They'll last a good few weeks from my experience. There's no real rule though to predict how long they'll keep.

answered Mar 06 '12 at 01:38

Inverted Llama

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score 1 · Answer 8 · answered Dec 24 '12 at 23:19

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http://calolive.org/our-story/faqs/ California ripe olives says 10 days after they are opened and put in a airtight container.

answered Dec 24 '12 at 23:19

Erin

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score 1 · Answer 9 · answered Oct 01 '14 at 15:42

I have been eating the same container of black olives for about 3 months. They keep for a LONG time, in fact I've never had any go bad. I keep them in an air dealer container in the fridge. I eat a few here and there and use for cooking. My 15 month old LOVES to eat them like grapes as well. They will keep for months, just smell them before ingesting, you'll definitely know when they are turning!

How long do black olives last once opened?

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