Broadly, most of us know the process of making pickles. You buy a jar and some vinegar, toss in cucumbers and spices, and you'll, eventually, get a delicious, decidedly aromatic treat. Thanks to the depths of Reddit, however, one user discovered an even simpler way to do it that also involves recycling.
The scoop
The ingenious trick can be discovered on Reddit's r/frugal forum, where one Redditor uploaded an impressive grocery haul for a mere $8.00. Their find included some fresh produce like cabbages, potatoes, and lemons — but more relevant to this story, they also nabbed a fresh cucumber and a jar of pickles.
In a comment, they explain, "After I finish the Claussen's [pickles], I cut up a cucumber into spears and put them in the pickle juice. A second batch of pickles for the cost of a cucumber." Presumably, the cucumber is cut into spears in order to make it fit into the jar better.
How's it helping
While glass production and waste are not nearly as harmful as plastics, it's still important to ensure glass products get recycled properly by getting them to the appropriate glass recycling facility or finding some other inventive use for them.
Re-using a pickle jar (and the pickle juice) to make pickles seems like it should be a much more common practice than it is, given it makes so much intuitive sense. It also provides an easy opportunity to experiment with flavor combinations - or to pickle another kind of vegetable entirely.
What's everyone saying?
"Wow I never thought of that and it's such a great idea. Doing that next time for sure," said one Redditor, commenting on the obvious yet intuitive nature of the hack.
"Half of that must have been the pickles that are a good brand. Good on you," said another, in regard to the relatively low cost of the produce haul.
Give it a try yourself, and add "pickle juice" to your lists of successfully recycled products.
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