I love olives. If that totally grosses you out I can understand. We can (probably) still be friends. Olives tend to be one of those polarizing foods. You either love them or you HATE them.
I love them. Especially green olives and kalamata. And now I love marinated olives too.
If you're going to try marinating your own olives you might as well marinate some feta too! Here's a list of things you need:
feta cheese (or goats milk cheese)
olives (black or green)
olive oil
And here are some ideas for marinating ingredients:
fresh dill
fresh rosemary
fresh thyme
red pepper flakes
whole black peppercorns
fennel seeds
The process as is as simple as you might think. Fill a clean jar with olives or cubed feta. As you layer, add in sprigs of dill, rosemary, and thyme. Sprinkle in the red pepper flakes, peppercorns and fennel seeds. Fill the jar with olive oil, until it covers the olives or feta so they are fully submerged. Now you're ready to snack!
I like to snack on these at the same time, one olive with one little cube of feta. I think this would make a great (and super easy) summer appetizer idea too. 
I've read that if the feta is fully submerged in the oil, it doesn't need to be refrigerated—as long as it's consumed within a couple of days. I choose to go ahead and refrigerate mine, just to be on the safe side. I found that the olive oil will become thicker with refrigeration, but the feta was still delicious. If you refrigerate, you should be fine to store and use these for up to two weeks. Enjoy! xo. Emma
P.S. Want more easy appetizer ideas? Try: baked pizza bites, herbed goat cheese, brussels sprouts chips or whole wheat pretzel bites.
102 Comments
This reminds me of leisurely picnics in the summer… can’t wait to try the recipe!
http://sarahthearchitect.com/
Love Feta! Great post!
http://talisatalksbeauty.blogspot.co.uk/2013/04/loccitane-almond-shower-oil.html
Those look delicious and beautiful!
http://www.neatobonito.com
I am not a fan of olives, but I have a friend who will put them on anything – I’ll pass this on to her 😉
xx Ashleigh
http://www.ashflynn.blogspot.com
SUCH a great idea! I never thought of marinating my own! So simple, and so much cheaper than supermarket olives (wince).
Big olive love.
Jess
I´m definately an olive lover, I was in Paris a couple of days ago and was served the most delicious garlic/chili olives at a restaurant, I can still feel the taste in my mouth! 🙂
This looks yummy too!
I can’t stand olives but I think feta is great. My husband LOOOOVEEESSSS both. I can’t wait to show him this! Thanks!
these look exceptionally delicious!
kw, ladies in navy
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Oh my, I need to make these just because those jars are so beautiful to look at. I’ve made spiced goat cheese like this, and it was really great on salads. I love that you’ve paired up the cheese and the olives, I could just eat that for dinner with a glass of wine and be a happy camper!
I love feta, olives, and marinated foods! This looks absolutely fantastic. Must try. 🙂
Huh? What could be gross about olives. Cannot comprehend. 🙂
I’m so excited that we’re going to be going to Europe for a few months this summer. Um, one reason is the cheap and DELICIOUS olives. Yes, it ranks as a reason. 🙂
These look incredible. But now I have olive envy. 🙂
I am seriously amazed at how pretty everything you make is. Even foods I wouldn’t normally try, I want to just for the pretty factor. 🙂
Allyson
http://allysonwonderlandphotography.com
This is great!
I love, love, LOVE olives as well – let’s be friends! 🙂 –
Growing up in the sunny south of France, olives and feta are definitely a staple in my mediterranean diet.
Can’t wait for summer and these delicious appetizers!
Awesome! We have a local goat farm that comes out to the Farmers Market every weekend and they have a marinated goat cheese. It is delicious!! What a great DIY!!
<3 Lauryn
http://www.themellowmallow.blogspot.com
Oh for goodness sake these look amazing. What easy but fancy hors d’oeuvres! perfect party food!
<3becky
http://www.loosefromthezoo.com
OMG I love olives. I (honestly) didn’t know that there were people out there that don’t! I could see green vs black or pitted vs non, that is the extent of the olive polarization in my world! ;)This looks like a great recipe. 🙂
The marinated feta sounds great, but I’m not so sure about the olives, haha!
Living in Greece feta and olives are our daily food. Such a cliche right? But still so true! My mom makes marinated olives and feta from as long as I remember myself. These snacks are one more reason for loving our food culture! 🙂
tsiou, from http://inwhirlofinspiration.blogspot.com
I love that food. I eat it always.. When I find it and that is perfect to have a recipe.
http://www.fashiondenis.com/
I love to marinate olives, they taste so much better than shop bought ones! I love to keep it simple with freshly grated garlic and chilli flakes 🙂
Oh goodness, I know what appetizer I’ll be making for my next gathering.
I love black olives (I could eat them for breakfast with just bread and butter almost everyday), but I hate green ones. I usually add garlic to such marinate – my husband says it’s delicious. And I keep it in fridge for a longer time – a week or two. You just have to make sure there are no air bubbles in olive.
I loooove marinated feta! And olives. My favorite olives are the castelevetrano (totally spelled that wrong) from Whole Foods. They’re the bright bright green ones. Delicious!
Alright, all of this is going on my grocery list immediately and I’m making these ASAP!! Thanks for the recipe!!
xo
Sarah
http://excitinglittlethings.blogspot.com
This looks delicious! Have you ever had Castelvetrano olives? They are soooo good…buttery and mild.
Ooooh my God I’m hungry noww! 😀 This looks amazing! 🙂
Oh yum, I looove feta! I never thought about marinating my own. Thanks for the great inspiration 🙂
xo Julia
These ingredients are the beginnings of a beautiful Greek Salad! Some plump grape tomatoes, crunchy romaine lettuce, thinly slice red onions and you are GOLDEN! You could even use the oil from the marinade to make the salad dressing, mixed with some red wine vinegar…aaaand I’m drooling.
Olives are some of my FAVORITE foods. When I was a kid I would eat those whole Mario olives straight from the can. Black olives are my favorite but I really love any type.
Literally the perfect appetizer. I’m going to try this soon! http://www.hiddenbaby.com/blogs/baby-blog
These look REALLY delicious!
Yum looks good! Would try chilli flakes in mine too! 🙂 Rosie xx
http://www.everywordhandwritten.blogspot.co.uk
Yum, looks great.
Carina
http://carstina.blogspot.co.nz/
Ah, I hate to tell you this, but the polarizing effect that olives have on me is less than lovely- I can’t stand them! However, these look delicious, so maybe someday when I (hopefully) like olives, I’ll try them! 🙂
The feta looks so yummy
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i am sure this tastes delicious!
wanderingsofalittlesoul.blogspot.de
I love feta and olives! This is such a great idea 🙂
what kind of olives do you buy for home-marinading? like canned/jarred olives?
It looks delicious !
http://www.thestilettoholic.com/
Love from Paris
I love black olives and kalamata, but not green. And LOVE feta (or pretty much ANY kind of cheese). You always have the most interesting looking recipes, and not too complicated for a non-cook like me! I’m gonna have to try this. Another snack I love is one cucumber slice to one black olive. Strangely delicious combo. 🙂
xo
Josi
http://www.sweetlifeblog.net
This is a really cool and easy idea! While I am one of those people who hates olives, my husband and his family LOVE them. This would be a great appetizer to take to a picnic or family get-together, since I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t be taking any of it back home with me!
I’m obsessed with those napkins! Where did you buy? Or do I see a future DIY? 🙂
my girlfriend and i will totally be trying this. we are currently SLAVES to the grocery olive bar…
we do this too! easy and always a winner!
http://mamajulesbrussels.blogspot.com
Yumm! what a great idea.
I normally don’t like olives, but I really love anything that marinated! 🙂
Looks yummy!
http://somebodyfromsomewhere.blogspot.com/
Yes,we can still be friends!:)
Despite the olives,this recipe is still great,as I love feta!
xoxo
Beautiful and tasty.
http://www.thesquisseur.com
I could eat olives until they come out of my ears! The best ones I ever had were at a Jamie Oliver restaurant in London, Fifteen. They were HUMONGOUS green olives where you had to nibble all around the stone to actually eat it. But so delicious.
Great post. I just adore your photos.
Caroline x
http://www.cocktailsandcaroline.com
I absolutely love olives, they’re so good so I perfectly understand you!
http://www.webelieveinstyle.net
This looks so simple and good! Feta is one of my all-time favorite cheeses. And everything looks so nice in those jars!
Yum….just…just yum.
I LOVE spicy feta from the farmers market, I don’t know why I never thought of making it at home! Thanks for sharing!
Yum! There is a deli here in Milwaukee that has TONS of marinated olives just ready to be eaten. MMMM!!
xo Lisa
Making Life’s Lemons
this looks absolutely delicious!!
yummy!!!!
Even though in Greece we eat lots of feta and olives I have never seen anything like this before…doesn’t sound too bad 🙂 maybe I could try it out sometime!
Ooh yumm, I love olives too!! Definitely going to try this, so simple!
http://www.beblacknblue.blogspot.co.uk
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I recenly discovered I really like black olives and feta (which I didn’t liked for years), so this is great idea! xx
http://www.creativityandchocolate.com
Oh! Thank you for this! I LOVE green and kalamata olives too, but hate the black. Husband loves the back and hates the green and kalamata. Opposites attract I guess.
I don’t know if we could be friends.
Mmm! We have an olive tree in our yard and we cured them from scratch one year. Delicious!
love 😉
i LOVE olives!! I also love feta- so I’m definitely going to marinate my own- thanks for the inspiration!!
yum yum YUM! I love marinated fetta and olives but have never made them myself, really need to try this!
Good thing I’m going grocery shopping tomorrow…. I HAVE to try this!!
Xoxo Renee
that looks delicious. I am craving some olives now!
http://theeoptimist.blogspot.com
That looks delicious! And the photography is absolutely amazing. Love it!
http://www.flockingowls.blogspot.com
It looks fantastic, however, the botulism risk here worries me. Oil provides the perfect oxygen-deprived environment for botulism growth.
Fresh herbs and cheese have a ton of water in them, not to mention the olives, making it incredibly easy to introduce the bacteria. Industrial guidlines require heating stuff like this to 250 degrees Fahrenheit to mostly eliminate the risk. I don’t think this is a safe recipe unless you consume it right away, and I certainly wouldn’t recommend letting it sit at room temperature..eek!
Oh yum! I’ve been loving marinaded feta at the moment, especially chilli, garlic and basil! And olives are the best, but I eat them plain… I think I’ll try this and see if I like them marinaded!
Oooo! I’ve always to try doing my own olives (I buy tons at the Whole Foods Olive Bar, WAY to expensive)You’ve given me the courage to try, thanks!
Feta……Mmmmmm
Sam
http://liveandlove.typepad.com
Up to two weeks ?
Bacteriaes can’t develop properly in olive oil, I’ve once kept goat cheeses in oil for more than a year, and if they indeed matured a bit, they were still eatable.
You can keep cheese in oil for months ! (it is in fact a way used to keep cheeses “fresh” in hot countries)
Addicted to green olives and kalamata! I prefer having it with danish feta though, as the taste seems a bit milder than regular feta.
I love olives and I love feta! I’ve never tried to marinate them, I’ll definitely give it a go 🙂
Sounds lovely… Would you suggest Greek or Danish feta?
I have no idea why but they look so cool!!
Slightly warmed olives are divine…try it. Thanks for the simple recipe and pretty pix!
Oh dang, Love this!! I am an olive fanatic and will so be trying this. Woot!
What sort of black or green olives do you begin with? Could you be really specific? I’d love to give this a whirl, thanks!
Oh!! Welcome to Greece “meze”, ladies… So as I live in Lesvos, the thousand olive trees island.. Here is another secret… Add garlic and oregano in your jar too!!!! Drink some ouzo and enjoy it!!
Dox
Not a fan of olives, but I absolutely adore feta and I will be trying this by the weekend!
Oh yummy yum YUM, I adore feta … this is a great idea! 🙂
Oh. My. Goodness. I love olives and feta, but never thought to marinate my own! Thanks for the great idea and recipe. I’m sure these would go great with one of your hummus recipes too.
Thanks again!
-Mollie
bloggingmollie.com
Yum! Not sure why I never thought to marinate feta at home…I always buy it. Can’t wait to try a few recipe combinations this weekend!
oh feta marinated in olive oil can last much more than a few days! a few months is much better… and you don’t need to refrigerate, oil is a natural preserver… beautiful pics!
This is such a great- and simple (very key!) idea! And a great snack alternative when in the mood for something salty.
My mouth is watering after looking at your pictures – love love feta cheese. In fact, I made super tasty hamburgers today with feta cheese inside. Just made as normal 500 gram minced meet, 2 egg + dash of cream, S&P + 120 grams feta cheese! Healthy and yummie!
Ciao / Bella
http://www.shoebox-living.com
Those look so beautiful is unrealistic, one of my favorite foods in one post aha
I LOVE olives! 🙂 Definitely pinning this and will try soon.
looks delicious!
I LOVE olives!
http://fashionbrunette.blogspot.com
yummy, great photos!
Yum these look delicious! And not too hard to do! I’ll have to give this recipe to my dad!
xoxo
Juliette Laura
juliettelaura.blogspot.com
I am definitely going to do this!!!!
I never thought of making my own marinated olives and feta until I saw this post. Thank you!
I love Olives ! I am living in Kalamata ! The hometown of delicious Olives . I can give you a very traditional recipe with green olives in marinated in Lemons if you like 🙂
I LOVE OLIVES! Can´t understand people who hate them!
Yes, indeed that’s a great snack!!! I m also greek & these two are in my everyday diet! I can eat tons of these!!!!
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Hello Elsie and Emma my name is Barbara and while browsing through Pintrest I came across your post on olives and feta. Because I ‘ve been doing this for a long time if I may give you a small tip. If you want to put your feta in the fridge use corn oil instead of olive oil. It does not get thick like olive oil also when you cut the feta let it dry out for a day before you marinate it. Drying it out keeps the cheese from getting soggy if you wish to make a bigger batch. I sun dry my feta for days in the summer sun and make a lot of jars which keep through fall and winter. Just make sure that the jars are stored in a cool place. A pinner from far away (Corfu Greece). Have a wonderful day