John O. Phillips, Jr., age 10, of Carson City, Nev., for his question:

HOW DO YOU MAKE A PICKLE?

A pickle is a fruit or vegetable preserved in vinegar and salt. Pickles can be made with or without sugar and are usually seasoned with spices. The most common vegetable for pickles is the cucumber.

Other fruits and vegetables often used in making pickles or relishes are cauliflower, onions, tomatoes, beets, red and green peppers, cabbage, crabapples, peaches, pears and even watermelon.

In making most pickles, the fruits or vegetables are soaked in brine and vinegar. Then they are flavored with seasonings such as mustard, dill, horseradish, cinnamon, allspice, cloves, celery seed, peppercorns and pimento. The pickles are then sealed tightly in jars.

Cucumber pickles may be either sweet or sour. Dill pickles are the most common type of sour pickles. Small cucumbers, or gherkins, are the best known of the sweet pickle type.

The pickling industry has grown rapidly since the 1930s. More than $450 million worth of pickles are produced every year.