Two questions come up often when someone lets me ramble on about pickling and fermenting: What do you do with all of those pickles, and what do you do with the leftover brine and whey? In my Twice as Tasty column this week for the Flathead Beacon, I give the basic answer for both questions: Use it.

Pickles can be more than snacks and condiments. I have so many uses for pickles that I created a special recipe collection, The Pickled Picnic, to accompany my pickling cookbook. Once I empty a pickle jar, it still holds brine, a fabulous ingredient for sautés, salad dressings, and more. When I make yogurt and cheese, the leftover whey has multiple uses, giving a two-for-one punch to every gallon of milk I buy.

Learn more about using leftover pickle brine and get the complete recipe for Brine-Braised Breakfast Potatoes in my column.

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Twice as Tasty

You’ll find pickle brine as an ingredient, or Tips & Tricks option, in recipes scattered across the blog, but I’ve gathered some of my favorites, and shared numerous new ones, in an exclusive digital collection: The Pickled Picnic. Besides Brine-Braised Breakfast Potatoes, I mix it into salad dressings, marinades, sauces, shrubs, and even bread.

Yogurt and cheese whey can also get a second life. Here are just a few recipes on the blog that use whey. You can find more in the recipe index.

• Yogurt Whey Berry Muffins
• Whey Sauce
• Mashed Potatoes with Yogurt Whey
• Cheesiest Mac and Cheese
• George’s Favorite Ultracheesy Crackers

You can also learn more about making pickles and fermenting cheese through links on the Basics page.

Want more Twice as Tasty recipes? Get my books! Click here to order a personally signed, packaged, and shipped copy of The Complete Guide to Pickling directly from me. I also share tasty ways to use pickles in The Pickled Picnic; it’s only available here.