The $2.99 Trader Joe’s Find I Drive Across States for (And Always Buy a Case)

My Trader Joe’s visits are pilgrimages. I’m that shopper you hate to follow into the checkout line, because my cart overflows with eight packages of everything. I live more than 200 miles from the nearest Trader Joe’s, so every visit is a spree.

More than anything else, I’m in the store for Jumbo Pitted Greek Kalamata Olives. They’re so affordable, meaty, and briny that I walk out with a case every visit.

Olives seem like an odd stock-up item, especially with the trend of grocery store olive bars. But I don’t crave ones floating in flavor-diluting oil. I also stopped eating bland California olives when I outgrew the wear-them-on-my-fingertips phase.

I want tangy olives like I ate while traveling in Greece. The Trader Joe’s jars satisfy my olive jones beautifully—and cost 25 to 65% less than the options in my local stores.

Why I Love Trader Joe’s Pitted Kalamata Olives

Olives are inedible unless cured. The process makes them tangy and slightly salty, with enhanced flavors when they’re packed in brine. Just like when I make fermented pickles, the trick is to get the brine concentration just right. Skimp on salt in the brining process, and the olives become flavorless and mushy.

This happens most often with olives sold in metal cans, which are also sealed at ultrahigh sterilizing temperatures. For olives in glass jars, pasteurization seals the lids air-tight at a lower temperature, a trick home canners use to keep cucumber pickles crisp and crunchy.

The Trader Joe’s supplier is doing everything right when it cures, pits, and packages these Kalamatas. Chefs typically recommend buying whole olives and pitting them yourself for the best texture, but even with pro techniques I find pitting tedious and messy. I notice little texture difference between this brand and Kalamatas I painstakingly pit by hand.

Better yet, I’ve been buying these olives for $2.99 for the last decade, and the Trader Joe’s website says a solid supplier relationship keeps the price steady. That’s $1 to $5 less per jar than the brined Kalamatas at my local stores. Firmer and cheaper? Yes please.

How I Use Trader Joe’s Pitted Kalamata Olives

I happily admit to eating these olives straight from the jar. They also cross all cultural lines in my kitchen, topping nachos, taco salad, frittata, and pizza. Of course, they are beautiful in a Greek pasta salad or easy tuna salad lunch.

I always use these Kalamatas in J. Kenji López-Alt’s Spaghetti Puttanesca and caponata made with homegrown eggplant and tomatoes. I add them to panzanella bread salad and potato salads for extra zing. In summer, I stuff them into squash blossoms along with mozzarella, cherry tomatoes, and fresh basil for frying. In winter, I bake them into cheesy, gooey sourdough calzones and empanadas.