Brines

Whats your favorite recipe for pickling veggies? I wanna pickle cucumbers and string beans.

1,1,and 1.. One gallon of water, one quart of vinegar, one cup of pickling salt. Works great.
  I add garlic, Chile pepper, dill, and in place of alum I use a fresh grape leaf ( gives it the crunch).

DO you boil it all together first?? Then add to the jars?? And whats alum?

Boil the solution separate. Fill jars with all your goodies. Pour in boiling solution, place clean lids,  put in 200 degree oven for one hour. Remove from oven and let cool on counter. After a while you will hear the lids start to pop. After they cool, store in a dark cool spot.
 Alum, alum,, not sure how to spell it,,, but anyways it's an ingredient in store bought pickles. My buddies dad showed me this recipe, and I've always stuck with it.