I use olives in cooking as well as for garnish. 
They are a pantry staple.  I always have at least one kind of green and one of black.

I may specify the type of olive or may suggest you use a personal favorite.  Regardless, they may need to be pitted.  Mine always do.

Pitting olives:

Method one:  Use a specially designed olive pitter.  Place olive in circle, press handle and pit pops out... hopefully where you want it.

Method two:  Place them on a board, lay the blade of a heave knife flat on top and smack the knife with your hand, smashing the olive.  This cracks the olive and the pit can easily be picked out.  You could use a meat pounder, too.  This is the much faster method.

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