6. Boosting Agricultural Productivity
Adding brine to livestock diets or fields (in careful doses) was thought to protect crops and animals from disease, and some estate accounts reference brining feed as a husbandry technique. The use of salt in agriculture was common in medieval times, with brine being utilized to preserve meat and fish for winter consumption (macs.hw.ac.uk). Additionally, salt was used in food preservation methods such as pickling, which involved submerging vegetables in brine to create a hypertonic environment that inhibited microbial growth.
