Pickles are delicious – juicy, briny and sour. You can have them in a sandwich, or with a cheese platter, or on their own… There are endless ways to enjoy pickles. And after they’re gone, you just tip the juice down the sink, right?
Stop! Turns out pickle juice actually has a ton of uses, so when you’ve finished with the pickles, put the jar back in the fridge. Whether you’ve got an upset tummy or a house plant in need of reviving, that jar of pickle juice is your answer.
1) Soothe acid reflux. Pickle juice is full of vinegar, and according to Healthline, vinegar is great on the stomach. Acid reflux is often caused by not having enough normal acid in the stomach, and the vinegar helps by introducing more acetic acid into the digestive tract. Acetic acid is also effective against some bacteria and microbes.
2) Relieve muscle cramps. Health and Love recommends drinking pickle juice for sore muscles – it is full of potassium for relaxing your muscles, and electrolytes to rehydrate you – and the calcium chloride and vinegar in the pickle juice allows your body to absorb the potassium and sodium more readily. Salt is also necessary to help your cells retain water, so the sodium in the pickle juice does just that. It’s basically a sports drink!
3) Pickle more stuff! The juice in your pickle jar isn’t wedded to pickles, say Bon Appetit. You can throw almost any soft vegetables in there, as well as garlic, onions, or hard boiled eggs.
4) Make your steaks tender. Bon Appetit also recommends using the leftover pickle juice as a marinade for your pork chops or steak – you can try adding different herbs, garlic, and spices to experiment with flavour.
