In the pickling process, microorganisms grow and ferment the food in a salty environment while producing large amounts of acid from available carbohydrates. Species of Leuconostoc and Lactobacillus are commonly used in the pickling process. To produce sauerkraut, cabbage is grated and salted and allowed to ferment naturally (since the bacteria are already present among the leaves). For pickled cucumbers, salt is added to fresh cucumbers, and the naturally occurring bacteria ferment the vegetable carbohydrates over a period of weeks. Different spices are added to prepare various forms of sauerkraut and pickled cucumbers.
