Cukes: snip off those ends-- scrub well now two ways to do it: I put mine in without soaking, just pop em in a jar. I boil roughly 3-4 cups of water per 1 cup of white vinegar with about 1/4 cup salt. when its to the boil, I immediately add it to the jar, add spices (I do peppercorns and dill either fresh or dried, and garlic cloves (squished a lil bit). Now Im a real lazy canner and I'm sure the food safety people here are having a coronary reading this, but I use that boiling water to seal the cans LOL since I dont have a large enough pot to process the cans-- the hot brine forces it to seal sort of. Also I sometimes use those big huge pickling jars with the attached lid (the glass ones u know?) especially since I am forced to make large quantities of torshi. Ok the other method to do cukes is what an Iraqi sister here told me to do. The outcome was basically similar, but I question the method. She soaks those cukes in cold water covered with a plate for a day or even two. She doesnt put it in the fridge, which is why I wont do it. You can try doing that in the fridge though, weither way its supposed to soften them up a little bit or something like that. ok !~!~!~!~Pickles Turnips My favorite-- the middle east cookbook online has a recipe that doesnt use vinegar, so depending on your tastes you can use that one or the way I do mine. Peel the turnips and cut into chunks (make sure u can get them back OUT of the jar if youre using a smaller jar!!!!! Peel and cut up a beet (or more dpending on how much youre making!) do the brine the same way I did previously (3 or 4 c water to 1 c vinegar and 1/4 c salt) and pour over the veggies into the jars while still reeeeeaaaaaalllllllly darned hot. I sometimes put in a dried chili, and a peppercorn or two, but nothing fancy for these-- theyre nifty on their own-- hot pink pickles :) *oh yeah I let all these pickles sit inside in the dark (some ppl put theirs in the sun!) for about 3-4 weeks, or until I walk in the kitchen to discover my husband or a neighbor breaking in and munching them down >:() Ok now mixed veggies-- my fav torshi is definetly cauliflowers and carrots, I NUB em! wash and break up cauli into florets the size u like.. soak em for a bit in cold water that is lightly salted to remove any doodehs (worms/bugs) or dirt. Meanwhile, peel and slice or chop carrots (not too thick or thin, I generally slice mine on the slant at about 1/4 in thick or so). Boil some water and BLANCH theseveggies for a few minutes, you dont want them SOFT, but you dont want super crunchy hard torshi that didnt absorb any brine! Do the brine the same as before, and so on. as per spices on mixed veggies I usually throw in whatever is at hand, but I always add garlic, peppercorns, and usually a dried chili pepper. other stuff Ive used in the past: *mustard seeds *cumin seeds *dill weed *blanched, sliced jalapeno peppers *pearl onions (not my fav really) *caraway seeds (loved it personally but children tend to get irked when they bite into one! LOL)