Don’t Throw It Away: 5 Ideas on How to Reuse Pickle Juice

You’ve just eaten an entire jar of pickles and are wondering what to do with the juice? The answer is: neither in the drain nor in the toilet, because pickle juice is a really valuable home remedy! Keep it and read about everything you can use it for.

There is no middle ground when it comes to pickles – you either love them or you don’t. If you are a fan, you probably have a few jars in your pantry. So next time you use one of these, think twice before throwing the pickle juice away. It really has a lot of great properties and you can use it in a variety of ways.

Drinking Pickle Juice: What Are the Benefits?

Drinking the liquid from pickles may sound gross to some, but there are several reasons to consider. It’s hydrating and can help with muscle cramps (as this 2010 study suggests) and gut health, among other things.

What’s in Pickle Juice?

Pickle juice contains vinegar and salt, which can help balance electrolytes (namely potassium and sodium) in the body. This can be very beneficial after a workout, for example, because the body has lost many of them during sweating.

The Advantages

There are several reasons why you should drink leftover fermented pickle juice. Here are the most important of them:

• To relieve and prevent muscle cramps
• To balance the electrolyte balance
• When losing weight – as an appetite suppressant and to stimulate digestion
• To strengthen the immune system – because of the vitamin C content

Which Pickle Juice Is Healthy?

If you’re convinced in the health benefits of pickle juice, it’s important to know how to find the good stuff. Not all pickle juice is the same. The probiotic juice, which has a positive effect on intestinal health, comes from fermented gherkins. This is the only type of juice you should use to get these benefits for your microbiome.

Attention: Some pickles also contain a lot of sugar in the juice, which is actually not healthy. To be on the safe side, always read the label and only consume juice that comes from fermented pickles and has no unhealthy additives. Ideally, use the brine from pickles you pickle yourself.

How Much Can You Drink?

Too much of a good thing is sometimes bad. Don’t overdo it with pickle juice – it contains a lot of salt. Stick to the rule of thumb: 1/3 oz per 22 lb/10 ml per 10kg of body weight. As a rule, one large sip per day (or as needed) is quite enough.

Refine Recipes with the Juice

Even if you don’t want to drink the pickle juice, that doesn’t mean you can’t continue to use it. The leftover liquid is an excellent ingredient for dressings, marinades and various recipes. Use it as a substitute for vinegar, but remember it already has salt in it.

You can also refine various alcoholic drinks and cocktails with the acidic brine. Whether with vodka, whiskey or gin – enjoy it.

Clean with Pickle Juice

You probably know that vinegar is an excellent cleaning agent. Since pickle juice contains vinegar, you can also use the leftover liquid for cleaning. Here are some things you can clean with it:

• Scrub copper items with a rag dipped in pickle juice and they will shine again!
• To descale your kettle, fill it halfway with water and add some pickle juice. Let the water boil, then leave for a few minutes and rinse a few times.
• Scrub the grill grate with the pickle juice to remove charred food particles and grease.

How Can You Use It in the Garden?

Due to its high acid and salt content, pickle juice is an effective weed control agent. To use the waste product as a weed killer, pour some directly onto the plant you want to control – it’s that easy!

For Fertilizing

You can fertilize plants that prefer acidic soil with pickle juice. Simply mix some of it into the irrigation water. This can encourage growth and flowering.

Also read: What Waste Products to Use as Fertilizers?

In the Compost

The acidity from the brine can also help the compost break down quicker. However, be careful not to add too much of it so as not to reduce the pH too much. A glass every now and then is fine, but it shouldn’t be every day.

Preserve Food

You can also reuse leftover pickle juice for pickling. You can put various foods such as boiled eggs, onions, garlic, peppers, canned vegetables, etc. directly into the juice and thus preserve them.

This is certainly only a part of the possible applications. One thing is for sure: instead of pouring the leftover liquid from the jar down the drain, save it for later use next time!

Also read: How to Preserve Cherry Tomatoes?