Re-using brine isn't recommended for several reasons. It has weakened over time as the water content of the food leaches into it. Just dump it.

Dave

Reuse in pickling or canning is not recommended, but you can reuse the brine (or steal a bit from from the jar now and then) as a flavor booster for potato salad, pasta salad, tuna, deviled eggs, vinaigrette dressing, etc. You can use the brine in lieu of vinegar in any recipe where vinegar is used for flavoring, if you feel like the flavor/salt profile of the brine would taste good.

After my grandfather died, my grandmother thought it was a waste to throw out his blood pressure medicines, and so she started taking them herself, even though her blood pressure was fine. The idea that throwing something out that no longer has a purpose because it would be wasteful is misguiding thinking. Eliminating things that are not useful is a good thing.

You can use the brine as suggested, for a potato salad or as a flavoring, but I would not consider using it again in pickling. You could possibly use it for cleaning your kitchen floor.

This post was edited by publickman on Tue, Jan 6, 15 at 1:51

These are all wonderful suggestions. Thanks. I hadn't thought seriously of reusing the brine for canning, but I may explore some of those safer options. If nothing else, it may give some variety to the critters in my compost pile. I don't think one quart would throw off the pH too much.

Oil/vinegar type salad dressing.

Deanna

I've told myself that if I have brine to be rid of when there is ice on the sidewalk, I'd try the brine as an ice melter.

The brine from my red radish fermented pickles gets used to make a few pickled eggs in the fridge, and then eaten quickly. After that I've poured the brine down the sink.

Steep hard boiled eggs in the brine for about 10 days... yummy! Use brine in Bloody Mary's, too.

This post was edited by canfan on Wed, Jan 7, 15 at 21:09