Red, earthy beets are a delight to the home gardener-cook. Adding a sweetly spiced vinegar mixture and following proper canning technique enhances beets’ flavors and preserves them as ready-to-eat gems for several months. The pickled beets recipe in this video is tested and approved by the United States Department of Agriculture.

Pickled beets require the same equipment as other pickling recipes: a waterbath canner, clean jars, clean flats and rings, jar lifters, and a few other common kitchen tools. You’ll also need to gather ingredients specific to this homemade pickled beets recipe, including beets, apple cider vinegar, salt, sugar, cinnamon sticks, cloves, and a few other spices. Depending on how many beets you have to preserve, this process could take from a couple of hours (beginning with boiling and peeling the beets) to a half-day of work (if you plan to do a full fruit box at a time). Don’t be intimidated by canning beets, the process is easy and you’ll agree it’s worth the effort when you pop open a jar in the dead of winter and add your spiced beets to a salad of goat cheese and winter greens.

More on Canning at MOTHER EARTH NEWS

Home Canning Guide: Learn How to Can Your Own Food

Home Canning: Putting Food By the Old-Fashioned Way

Water Bath Canning and Pressure Canning: Explained

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