How do I make pickles?

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I think you put a cucumber in vinegar for like weeks, and supposedly turns into a pickle You have to grow cucumbers then you have to put seasonings and stuff in a jar with them.

I use these mixes.... There are lots of companies out there that make them, but here is one for an example.

http://mrswages.stores.yahoo.net/pickles.html

A few days ago I made refrigerator bread and butter pickles. They are ready to eat in about 24 hours and last in your fridge in a jar with a tight fitting lid for about 6-9 months. I used English Cokes ( no seeds) and vadalia onions. It makes a gallon, but I cut it in half and do half gallons at a time.

Here's a fun website:
http://members.amaonline.com/nrogers/Kitchen/pickles.htm

Ball also makes a prepackages mix. Here's there site:
http://www.kitchenkrafts.com/category.asp?c=141000&bhcd2=1150141703 I got this recipe from a friend many years ago after eating some of these pickles at a party.

Bread and Butter Pickles

4 quarts sliced cucumbers
6 medium onions, sliced
3 cloves garlic, crushed or chipped
1/3 cup salt
5 cups sugar
3 cups apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons mustard seeds
1 1/2 teaspoons celery seeds
1 1/2 teaspoons turmeric

Combine cucumbers, onions, garlic. Sprinkle with salt. Cover completely with ice. Mix thoroughly. Let stand 3 hours, adding more ice as it melts. Drain well. Put cucumbers into a big pot.

Combine all other ingredients. Pour the mixture over the cucumbers. Bring it just barely to a boil, then remove from heat. Put pickles into sterilized, hot jars. Cover with ring & cap lids.

Yield: 3 quarts pickles PICKLES

fresh dill, whole stems
fresh pickles (small pickling cucumbers), washed
a bunch of cloves of garlic, optional
1/2 cup to 1 cup of salt
2 cups of Heinz vinegar

Boil a pot of water (enough to cover dill and pickles). Add salt and vinegar to boiling water. Layer dill & garlic - pickles - dill & garlic in a large crock or pot. Pour water mixture over dill/pickles. Cover, but not air-tight. My mom used to put a plate upside down on top of the dill/pickles and place a can on the plate to keep the dill and pickles submerged in the liquid. Let stand for several days. When done pickling, transfer pickles, liquid and some dill and garlic to a container, seal and refrigerate. Pickles are easy to make
You can buy "pickling spices" or mix together some using a combination to your taste of broken allspice, bay leaves, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, coriander, ginger, mustard seeds, and peppercorns.

I usually just make quick fresh pack "refridgerator" pickles - to be consumed in a short time, but you could also make "canned" pickles which are pasteurized in a boiling-water process that destroys molds and bacteria that could cause the pickles to spoil. The water bath process also inactivates enzymes that could affect the color, flavor, and texture of the pickle or relish. "Canning" also creates a strong vacuum seal so that pickles won't mold.

Mildly Sweet "Refridgerator" Pickles
stay crunchy up to about 3 weeks in the refigerator

3 Japanese style cucumbers (1" to 1 1/2" diameter) sliced about 1 1/16" thick (do not peel) or use little "pickling" cucumbers
1 medium-sized green pepper (seeds removed)
1 medium-sized onion
1 tablespoon pickling or table salt (other salts like sea or kosher weigh less and may need to be increased by 1/2)
2 teaspoons celery seed
1/2 teaspoon mustard seed
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup white vinegar
Chop pepper and onion, and place along with sliced cucumbers into a 1 1/2 quart size jar or bowl. Add salt and celery seed. Stir gently and let stand one hour. Combine sugar and vinegar in separate bowl, stir to dissolve. Pour over vegetables and stir to blend. Put vegies in narrow container or glass jar. Cover vegetables with liquid and refrigerate.
Pickles are ready to eat in one day. Store covered in refrigerator.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Kosher Pickles: The Right Way
From Mark Bittman, New York Times

1/2 cup kosher salt
1 cup boiling water
2 pounds small Kirby cucumbers, washed, and cut into halves or quarters
5 cloves or more garlic, peeled and smashed
1 large bunch dill, if desired, fresh and with flowers OR 2 tablespoons dried dill and 1 teaspoon dill seeds, OR a tablesoon of coriander seeds
1. In a large bowl, combine the salt and boiling water; stir to dissolve the salt. Add a handful of ice cubes to cool down the mixture, then add all remaining ingredients.

2. Add cold water to cover. Use a plate slightly smaller than the diameter of the bowl and a small weight to hold the cucumbers under the water. Keep at room temperature.

3. Begin sampling the cucumbers after 2 hours if they are quartered, 4 hours if they are halved. In either case, it will probably take from 12 to 24 hours, or even 48 hours, for them to taste "pickly" enough to suit your taste. When they are, refrigerate them, still in the brine. The pickles will continue to marinate as they sit, more quickly at room temperature, more slowly in the refrigerator. Yield: About 30 pickle quarters.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Pickled Summer Fruits
1 cup water
1 cup sugar
1 cup rice wine vinegar
Bring to a simmer just to dissolve sugar
Place in clean jar
1/2 lemon, slice thin
1 Tbls ginger root, slivered
1 large sprig fresh mint
Summer fruits -cut or whole (plums, apricots, berries, peaches)

Pour pickle solution over fruits into the jar to cover seal and then let this cool down for an hour to two on the counter. Refrigerate for two days to a week before enjoying either alone, with grilled meats, with ice cream, or angel food cake.
Source(s):
http://dir.yahoo.com/Society_and_Culture/Food_and_Drink/Cooking/Recipes/By_Preparation_Method/Pickle/

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