I am a pickle lover. I mean it. I love all flavors of pickles; sweet, sour, salty, spicy, & tart. I have been known to try some pretty zany pickles and I must say I have rarely met a pickle I didn’t like. The odd thing is that pickles are surprisingly costly considering the contents: brine and cucumbers. (Of course I am excluding all of the other fabulous things can be pickled deliciously such as tomatoes, eggs, and beets.) Brine is where the rubber meets the road in the world of pickles. If you have a tasty pickle it is due to the fabulous brine that it has been fermenting in.

Being a pickle lover and a frugal woman sometimes poses its conflicts. I found myself making concessions on other food items just so I could purchase pickles (ok and olives too!). Then one day I reached the bottom of my bottle. Yes, I dare say my favorite jar of pickles was lacking anymore…well pickles. I wondered why I had put an empty jar back on the fridge. I was dismayed at the thought of dumping the brine. Then I decided I wouldn’t. I just couldn’t. The brine is what made ordinary baby cucumbers into those ever so tasty pickles. Cucumbers. Sliced cucumbers. You can almost envision the rusty cogs in my brain turning, can’t you?

Since then I have become a brine recycler. When I reach the end of a jar, I use the brine. Most commonly I use it for more pickles. I just slice up some cucumbers and toss them in the jar. Then I let them sit in the fridge for a week or so. YUM! However, pickle brine can also be used to marinade meats. OH! I once got this jar of these horseradish pickles when we were on holiday. The pickles were fandantabulous to say the least. But that was nothing comparatively to roast I marinated in the leftover brine. WoW! I don’t think I have ever made quite such a scrumptious roast since.

So, don’t throw that brine away. I have successfully made 3-4 jars of pickles from the original brine and then used it to make a sauce or marinade. This makes those expensive little jars a treasure for the frugal gourmet.