Hey, Not So Fast..Don’t Throw Away Your Pickle Juice!

The rise in pickling seems to come from folks being more and more interested in sustainability.  If you have a certain amount of local food and want to make the most of it, it would make sense to preserve lots of it by pickling for later consumption.

But it is a wonder that I have never known anyone to save pickle juice because this tangy, salty, briny liquid is loaded with possibilities!

According to mnn.com:

Try spooning a few teaspoons of pickle juice into picnic favorites like potato salad, egg salad, coleslaw and pasta salad. And take the edge off of fresh chopped onions by steeping them in pickle juice for 15 minutes before adding them to bean salads. Stir some brine into homemade vinaigrette-style salad dressings and into saucy marinades for grilled chicken, fish or tofu. Drizzle a few tablespoons into borscht, gazpacho or other soups, and add extra zing to sauteed green beans, kale or beets by tossing some brine in right before serving. Serious pickle fanatics can dip potato chips directly into pickle juice, or stir it into yogurt for a tangy ranch-style dip.

And then, of course, there are the drinks. Pickle juice makes a natural substitute for olive juice in a dirty martini and a pleasingly sour addition to a Bloody Mary.

Now that is BLOODY interesting!!  Your guest will never be able to guess your secret ingredient, they will just know you are a great cook and bartender.

By the way, if you are doing raw pickling of veggies such as cabbage, the pickle juice is even MORE nutrient dense.  It is loaded with probiotics and enzymes that will aid digestion tremendously.

If you want to try pickling but don’t have the patience, try this “Quick Pickle” technique!

Thank you to mnn.com for this great information!  See their site for some more info on what to do with pickle juice.

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