You can't reuse it to can up more pickles as it contains juices from the former pickles that weaken it making it unsafe to use in that manner.

Keep it to use for extra flavoring in pasta and potato salads. I've used good pickling juice in the spring when I ran out of pickled beets. Take a bottle or even store bought can of regular beets, drain well and put in a container that has a lid. Slice 1/4 to 1/2 small onion thinly, and put some of the pickling juice (probably 1 cup +/-) and the onion in a small pan. Boil together for about 5 minutes. Pour over beets in the bowl and stir together well. Try to submerge all the beets in the juice. Put the lid on and place the bowl in the fridge. I let it set at least overnight. Should keep well in the fridge for several days but mine is usually gone in a day or two. I always can pickled beets with added sliced onions and miss them when they are gone. This is a good way to add a different flavor to plain ones.

Crystal

I like to add sliced dill pickles to the left over juice of any type of sweet pickles. I don't reuse it more than once though.

I guess sometimes I will add another cucumber to a sweet refrigerator pickle jar. Judgement call on how old the pickle mix is for me. If I make a quart and it goes in a week or two, I'll add another. It must be clear and smell good with no off color or webbing in jar. I guess most of the time I'd rather start fresh however because water, vinegar, onion, garlic, tumeric, and sugar are all pretty cheap. Regards - Jim

NOT recommended. Cukes give off enzymes when curing and these release into the brine, which now contains not only more water from the vegetables, but the enzymes from the vegetables as well. Suffice to say you would be better off to make fresh brines, and adjust the flavor to what direction you wish to go as to flavor. Adding a single cuke to a brined pickle jar may be fine, but it will still reduce the effectiveness of the curing medium. Some of the pickle mixes (Ball and Mrs. Wages) offer really great flavor too.

Thanks everyone for the ideas and caveats. Sorry I did not respond earlier - it's been a rough couple of weeks. Insane deadline at work, my laptop crashed at the worst possible time, we had to put down (after a long illness) my beloved 15-year old dog, my husband and I immediately came down with identical chest/cough infections, husband is not dealing at all well with the upcoming big 6-0, and now the remaining younger dog is moping and skulking around the house and licking herself raw.

Oy vey - guess I'll just go and eat me a few pickles!!!

Susan

Not exactly "reuse"...more "repurposing".......but I just put a jar of mozzarella balls in the left over juice from the cherry tomato recipe Carol posted a few months ago (link below). After a few hours, the cheese picks up just enough flavor. Yum.

Here is a link that might be useful: Tomatoes