The beauty of making pickles at home is that you can tailor them to suit your tastes, making them sweet or sour, and adding as much or as little flavoring as you wish. The trick with pickling is to create an environment that is inhospitable to harmful bacteria while preserving the integrity of the vegetables. The 1:1 ratio of vinegar to water keeps vegetables crisp in the fridge, but is also acidic enough that they can be canned safely if you choose to.
Step 1: Prepare Vegetables »