My Mom and grand mother didn't do any pickling that I remember, but they did an enormous amount of canning. Tomatoes particularly but also green beans, peaches. They made apple butter. They did pickle watermelon rind that was delicious and they made a sweet pepper relish that I loved. They did it because they enjoyed the foods in the winter when you couldn't get those foods back then and also to save money. Now you can get just about anything any time of year.
This day has never been lived before. Enjoy!