Re: Re-using brine?

[Guest guest]

I asked once before without reply, so here it goes again. Can one reuse

the brine (or juices) left over from your cultured veggies? I'm

thinking of pickles in particular. Can you add new cukes to the jar of

brine after the older pickles are eaten or should one start fresh after

each batch is eaten? The reason I ask it some of our freshly made jars

of pickles are less than a week old and my husband has already consumed

whole jars of them. Therefore, the brine is less than a week old and I

hate to just throw it out.

Thanks,

Robin

[Guest guest]

Thanks Kris,

I'll just have to give it a try and see what happens.

Robin

<<I don't know why you couldn't, but maybe I'm wrong. Maybe that's why

no one has answered. No one knows for sure.

Peace,

Kris , gardening in harmony with nature in northwest Ohio>>

[Guest guest]

I ferment a lot of my foods and have been tempted to re-use the brine BUT:

1> The original bottle has been opened and exposed to extra bacteria and

airborne yeast.

2> What bacteria have been introduced to the bottle when you take out your

veggie? Even forks can have something on them.

3> I am not sure, but the process of fermenting with fresh salt and/or whey

could be disrupted by using old brine. Nature seems to know what its doing.

4> Safety first. It seems safer to make everything fresh.

Just my opinion.

Kat

http://www.katking.com

----- Original Message -----

From: <Nest4Robin@...>

< >

Sent: Friday, August 23, 2002 5:17 AM

Subject: Re: Re-using brine?

> Thanks Kris,

> I'll just have to give it a try and see what happens.

> Robin

>

> <<I don't know why you couldn't, but maybe I'm wrong. Maybe that's why

> no one has answered. No one knows for sure.

> Peace,

> Kris , gardening in harmony with nature in northwest Ohio>>

[Guest guest]

At 09:07 AM 8/22/2002 -0400, you wrote:

>I asked once before without reply, so here it goes again. Can one reuse

>the brine (or juices) left over from your cultured veggies? I'm

>thinking of pickles in particular. Can you add new cukes to the jar of

>brine after the older pickles are eaten or should one start fresh after

>each batch is eaten? The reason I ask it some of our freshly made jars

>of pickles are less than a week old and my husband has already consumed

>whole jars of them. Therefore, the brine is less than a week old and I

>hate to just throw it out.

>Thanks,

>Robin

I usually toss some of it into the next batch (esp. if it is a vegie that

isn't full

of it's own bacteria). I have seen people use it to make pickled eggs (just

toss

some boiled, shelled eggs into some spicy brine). I'm sure it would work for

cukes too. The man who made eggs would use it many times, though that

was a vinegar brine, not a lactic acid brine. I tried it with some lacto brine

and the eggs came out fine, though I'm not really a fan of pickled eggs, and

they were a bit different than the vinegar ones.

I like brine as a starter more than whey, in general, because I feel it has

bacteria that are adapted for vegies, rather than milk. But this is not based

on anything other than my own instincts! None of the recipes I've come

across say anything about what to do with old brine, or that it is needed

for cultured vegies.

Heidi

[Guest guest]

Thanks Heidi,

It seems nobody knows for sure, but I think it is worth a try.

Robin

<<I usually toss some of it into the next batch (esp. if it is a vegie

that isn't full

of it's own bacteria). I have seen people use it to make pickled eggs

(just toss

some boiled, shelled eggs into some spicy brine). I'm sure it would work

for cukes too. The man who made eggs would use it many times, though

that was a vinegar brine, not a lactic acid brine. I tried it with some

lacto brine and the eggs came out fine, though I'm not really a fan of

pickled eggs, and they were a bit different than the vinegar ones.

I like brine as a starter more than whey, in general, because I feel it

has bacteria that are adapted for vegies, rather than milk. But this is

not based on anything other than my own instincts! None of the recipes

I've come across say anything about what to do with old brine, or that

it is needed for cultured vegies.

Heidi >>