Choose tender vegetables and firm fruit of the best quality . Seed catalogues and Manitoba Agriculture and Food are good sources of information about varieties that are suitable for pickling. Salt acts as a preservative and adds flavour and crispness. Other salts contain anti-caking materials that may make the brine cloudy. Do not alter salt concentrations in fermented pickles or sauerkraut.
Proper fermentation depends on correct proportions of salt and other ingredients.
Salt and sodium reduced recipes are available if this is your target market. Vinegar is a preservative and gives the characteristic tangy taste. This is the acidity of most commercial vinegars. Do not use home made vinegar which is of unknown acidity and do not dilute the vinegar unless specified by the recipe. If a less sour product is desired increase sugar rather than decrease vinegar.