# The dangers of open containers with brined olives

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dangers-of-open-containers-with-brined-olives/709551>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [January 11, 2015, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dangers-of-open-containers-with-brined-olives/709551 "2015-01-11T17:29:32Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![naita](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naita/32/5862_2.png) [@naita](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/naita)\
**Post date:** [January 11, 2015, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dangers-of-open-containers-with-brined-olives/709551/1 "2015-01-11T17:29:32Z")

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When I buy olives in brine the jar always says “Consume within 14 days of opening”. What dangers, if any, am I exposing myself to after scarfing down a dozen olives from a jar I opened a few weeks before Christmas?

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**Author:** ![Oly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/oly/32/8255_2.png) [@Oly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oly)\
**Post date:** [January 12, 2015, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dangers-of-open-containers-with-brined-olives/709551/2 "2015-01-12T04:43:24Z")

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A dozen - none. Pah! I’d eat those for breakfast.

13? Now that’s an unlucky number. Wouldn’t touch it with a 10 foot Kalamatian.

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**Author:** ![No\_umlaut\_for\_U](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ea5d25/32.png) [@No\_umlaut\_for\_U](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/No_umlaut_for_U)\
**Post date:** [January 12, 2015, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dangers-of-open-containers-with-brined-olives/709551/3 "2015-01-12T04:55:53Z")

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Not a danger, but they tend to grow really odd halotolerant yeasts.

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**Author:** ![Peanuthead](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peanuthead/32/360_2.png) [@Peanuthead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peanuthead)\
**Post date:** [January 12, 2015, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dangers-of-open-containers-with-brined-olives/709551/4 "2015-01-12T05:07:00Z")

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> [@No\_umlaut\_for\_U](#):
>
> Not a danger, but they tend to grow really odd halotolerant yeasts.

So, if I finish all the pickles and add cucumbers and peppers to the juice left in the jar am I going to make myself sick?

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**Author:** ![chiroptera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@chiroptera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chiroptera)\
**Post date:** [January 12, 2015, 5:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dangers-of-open-containers-with-brined-olives/709551/5 "2015-01-12T05:45:52Z")

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I love olives and buy them frequently from a Middle Eastern market. They have a dizzying array of different types of olives, which the customer ladles out from large metal bins. I doubt the brine (or oil, depending on the type of olive) and the olives themselves are completely refreshed or replenished every 14 days…I thought brine was a preservative and inhibits bacteria growth, so brined foods would last quite a long time.

Re-using pickle juice is a [common thing](http://www.bonappetit.com/test-kitchen/cooking-tips/article/15-ways-to-use-leftover-pickle-juice), and I don’t recall ever reading cautions on discarding pickles after 14 days.

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**Author:** ![Peanuthead](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peanuthead/32/360_2.png) [@Peanuthead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peanuthead)\
**Post date:** [January 12, 2015, 7:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dangers-of-open-containers-with-brined-olives/709551/6 "2015-01-12T07:09:20Z")

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Thanks for the neat link Chiroptera. Mmmmm… Pork chops!