Hi, Terry here from the Willamette Valley in Oregon and new to GardenStew. I have an old sweet pickle recipe from my grandmother that I have been making for years. Normally I buy two to five gallons of small cucs and make them all at once. In short, I put the cucs in a salt and water brine for seven days; then an alum and vinegar brine for seven days; then a final sugar/vinegar/spice brine where they stay permanently--in about seven days they are ready to use. This year I want to raise my own pickling cucumbers but I have a small garden area and can only afford (space-wise) two cucumber plants. My plan is to pick the cucs about every seven days and put them in the first brine after moving the currently brining cucs to the next brine. Can I use the same brine for the next batch? Do I need to "freshen up" the brine with additional salt or alum or whatever and how do I tell? Or do I need to use new brine? Thank you to anyone who has any experience in this type of brining. Terry Armstrong
