P ickles are inevitable side dishes on an Indian menu.  There are both vegetarian and non-vegetarian varieties of pickles available in the market.  But I always prefer a good homemade pickle over store bought ones. Growing up in Kerala, I remember my Grandma used to preserve the seasonal produces like mangoes, lemons, Bilimbi, Hog Plums in many ways.  Pickling them in big batches for off season was one method.  As kids, we used to curiously gather around and watch her fill the big earthern pots with different kind of pickled produces and tie the lid tight with muslin cloth to keep them safe from moisture.  The earthern pots will stay untouched for months till the monsoon season comes.  And during monsoon time, the big pots were carefully opened and small batches of pickles will be transferred into small bottles for monthly usage in many dishes.   Rest of the picked items will be sealed and saved in the bigger pots for months to go. It's amazing how our ancestors have derived these