I do love me a good pickle now & then. But a jar somehow never seems to last very long. Once I open it, the pickles just seem to fade away. Being something of a Miserly Monkey, I never throw away the pickle juice when the pickles are gone. I always reuse the brine--if not to make more pickles on the cheap, then as part of a really zingy salad dressing. When I can get a good buy on road-side cucumbers, I routinely wash them, slice them, and cold pack them in the leftover brine. I often sterilize the brine by bringing it to a boil and then purely stuff the jars full of chips or spears. Then I just tuck the jars in the fridge for a few weeks. It works great. I've never met a pauper-pickle I didn't like, and the salad-dressing is a trick to die for. This post is to add an update on my penny-pinching pickle predilictions. I got a screamin' deal on some zucchinis about two weeks ago. So I washed up a few jars-worth, sliced them thin, and cold-packed them in leftover dill pickle brine. ( I admit I had to eat a few extra pickles to free up enough brine.) Boy--what a treat! Zucchini makes excellent pickles. They come out with a light fresh flavor that is distinctly different from ordinary cucumber dills. They are perfect for salads. And everything else. Two weeks is good for them to pickleate completely. The only problem is that once you open a jar they just seem to evaporate almost visibly. But in a very delicious way. Give zucchini pickles a try some time, even with your own home-brew brine I'm betting they will turn out truly fine...
Big problem here is there are no really decent store bought brands that taste all that good, and worse, they are all extra salty! While I loves me a super crispy pickle, I cannot stand all that damn salt! My Grand Mum had the perfect blend, and I dont know how she canned them, but DAMN, they were sure tasty!
Gosh, and I just got out my pickling gear 5 days ago and whipped up a batch of refrigerator dill and b&b pickles and some pickled green beans and asparagus. Since I haven't put it up, I think I'll whip up some dills with garlic using zucks. I use about 1/8 tsp calcium chloride in each quart to keep them crisp. Works like a dream. Thanks for the ideas.
I like jalapeno's in my pickle juice along with the pickles, It's hard to find any on the shelves so time for plan ''B''
