Learn how to can pickled beets for a delicious way to preserve your beet harvest.
Pickled beets are as nutritious as they are delicious, and they make a unique addition to any meal. Learn how to can pickled beets using this recipe from United States Department of Agriculture's "Complete Guide to Home Canning," the ultimate guidebook on how to can safely.
PHOTO: FOTOLIA/LOUELLA FOLSOM
Pickled beets make use of a large beet harvest and helps store them long into winter months. The unique flavor will surely make these a staple in your pantry!
To learn more about canning and food preservation, check out Jackie Clay’s article The ABCs of Canning and Roberta Bailey’s Learn to Can for Homegrown Flavor.
The following is an excerpt from the Complete Guide to Home Canning by the United States Department of Agriculture (2009).
Yields approximately 8 pints.
Ingredients:
7 lbs of 2- to 2-1/2-inch diameter beets
4 c. vinegar (5 percent)
1 1/2 tsp canning or pickling salt
2 cups sugar
2 cups water
2 cinnamon sticks
12 whole cloves
4 to 6 onions (2 to 2 1/2-inch diameter), if desired
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Boil fresh, washed beets until tender. Chill in cold water to slip skins. Slice or quarter, or leave very small ones whole. Fill clean, hot jars with hot beets, leaving 1/2" headroom. Add 1/2 tsp. salt to pints, 1 tsp. to quarts (salt is optional, however). While beets are cooking, make a pickling syrup of 2 parts vinegar (1/4 of this may be water if you like it weaker) to 2 parts sugar and bring to a boil. . **A variation is to spice the beets, as I usually do. For 3 quarts of beets, add to the vinegar/sugar solution a small cheesecloth bag containing: two cinnamon sticks, one teaspoon each of whole allspice and cloves, and one tablespoon mustard seed. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes, remove spice bag. Add the boiling pickling syrup, again leaving 1/2" headroom. Adjust lids and process in BW bath for 30 minutes for either pints or quarts. **I don’t put the salt in the jars, and I definitely use the spices. Totally awesome!
my mom used to put regular distilled vinegar and sugar but i dont know the rest can you tell me your recipe how you do your beets it would be very helpfull.
We pickle beets by 1. boiling till tender 2. cooling them cold water, easier to peel 3. slicing in a square pyrex with balsamic vinegar Don't do anything else. To peel use a wet paper towel which can be composted after, saves red hands.