First Pickles are actually cucumbers that are preserved in Salt, Vinegar and other flavors.
Cucumbers are normally grown where the weather is hot and water is plentiful. The Cucumbers are fertilized every two weeks to keep pests away from the growing plants.
The complete growing process takes about 50 to 70 days and should be 1 - 1-1/2 inches in diameter for the best taste.
Harvest the Cucumbers. They are put into large bins and sent to a location where they are put on a conveyor to be cleaned. This is a VERY important step because the Cucumbers have to be cleaned to get the maximum flavor.
Next is preservation. Depending on the manufacturer, conversion of the cucumber into a pickle can be done in one of three ways including fermentation, pasteurization, and refrigeration. The first and oldest method is a process known as fermentation. In this method, the cucumbers are transferred to large, air tight, fiber-glass or stainless steel tanks. The tanks are filled with a brine solution, which is made up of water and 10% salt. There is a natural bacteria that builds up that is necessary for this process because it breaks down the sugars in the cucumber. They are sealed for up to 5 weeks.
Next is Processing and packaging. This is where they place the pickles into jars or containers and place them into boxes to be shipped out to the manufacturers.
The manufacturers hire merchandisers to place the jars or containers on the shelf where the consumer are able to purchase them.