Posted on 01/31/2011 6:53:40 AM PST by Daffynition
If there ever was a sign that we've had more than enough snow this winter, here it is.
Bergen County, New Jersey administrators found themselves in quite a pickle this winter. With their plowing budget quickly running dry, they've come up with a juicy solution.
Bergen County is just across the Hudson from New York – and despite being among the wealthiest counties in the nation, this winter has busted their budget for snow removal. Road salt comes at a hefty premium, and being only halfway through winter, they've invested in a new, and much cheaper, snow melter: pickle juice
(Excerpt) Read more at newsfeed.time.com ...
Oh the possiblities...
You snow you’re in a pickle when you run into a drift in NJ...
Wife: Youre drunk. Youve been at Harry’s Bar...
Husband: No, honest dear. I got pickled driving home from choir practice..
The snow in NJ is the basis for a new face cream. It has a unique preservative...
Road kill on NJ roads have a mummified quality ...
bet the neighborhood stinks;-)
Apparently it works pretty well as long as they get it on the roads before it starts snowing. If it rains before it snows it will wash off the brine so it's not good in that situation either. I've never heard it called "pickle juice" however.
But the side benefit from this is that, in the summer, the weeds along the road will taste remarkable.
Thanks a lot. Haven’t found a good pastrami sandwich in my area and now I want one. Nearest Primanti Bros. is 200 miles away and Schlotzsky’s is 60.
I wish they would use ‘brine’ around here - rock salt is expensive and ends up kicked off to the sides of the road in no time.
But then they got to buy the trucks to spread it.
The article implies they aren’t using salt anymore. They are, of course, they’re just applying it in solution with water rather than in chunks.
Whether this makes economic sense or not cannot be determined from the data in the article.
I must say comparing a cost per gallon to a cost per ton is one of the dumber things I’ve seen recently.
The only relevant comparison is cost per mile of properly deiced road.
We have plenty of BULL $hit here in NJ that they could dry and spread on all the roads for traction... surprised they have not thought of that.
and when demand for pickle juice spikes, so will the price. remember - it’s only cheap because no one wants it. i bet there would be supply problems should demand spike. AND the price will certainly reflect that.
Sea water is free and is much saltier than pickle brine.
They did this as well in my area, mixed the brine with a molasses mixture...stuck to the road just fine
Looks like you’ve been to Carnegie Deli!!! Yummmmmmmmmmmmmmmm! Or better yet Katz’s Delicatessen. ;P
LOL...poor NJ! *always* getting picked on!
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