Pickled Beets Recipe

I love pickling and canning vegetables. And making jams and preserves. There’s something about it that gives me the feels. An old country road, a back porch swing. I hope this pickled beets recipe does the same for you. One of my favorites is pickled beets. Sweet and spicy. Great for the holidays, or even an everyday salad. I eat a lot of salads. I love mixing it up and having different flavors added to them.

I love making pickled beets from my small backyard garden, but you can also buy them from the store to make this recipe like I did since my beets weren’t ready yet.

This pickled beet recipe will make enough for about 3-pint jars of pickled beets.

Pickled Beets Recipe Ingredients:

• 6 medium-sized beets
• 2 cups white vinegar
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 6 whole cloves
• 3 1/2 sticks of cinnamon
• (you’ll also hold onto 2 cups of water that beets are cooked in)

Pickled Beets Recipe Directions:

First, take your bunch of beets and clip the leaves off, leaving about 2-3 inches of stem on the beet (this helps reduce bleeding when you cook the beets).

In a large pan, place your beets with water that covers them completely. Turn on medium heat, and leave at a boil for about an hour. During this time you can go ahead a sterilize your jars and lids by boiling them for 10 minutes. Use tongs to remove them from the pan. If you’re interested in canning and want to get some supplies for it, I recommend Ball Pint Jars and this Granite Ware Canning Kit. These are what I now use and I love them.

Also, get a bowl of ice water. After your beets are done cooking, move beets into the cold ice water. This helps to remove skins easily. You have to rub the skins to remove them. The stems should also detach from the skin. If you feel the water getting warm during this process (it did for me), just throw in a few more ice cubes.

Please note – beets are messy! Try to keep your bowl of ice water close to the stove. Also, keep some paper towels around for your hands. I’d also recommend wearing a shirt you don’t care about getting stained.

After peeling the beets, clean off your hands and go back to the pot of beet water. Take out two cups of the water and set them aside, then pour out the rest of the water. Add the two cups back to the pot, along with your two cups of white vinegar, sugar, and salt. Keep on a low heat until the sugar dissolves.

Take your beets and cut them into slices. I used a paper plate that I could throw away afterward for easy cleanup. After you are done slicing your beets, start to distribute them evenly to the three-pint jars that you have. Toss in 2 cloves and half a cinnamon stick into each jar. Then spoon the brine (beet juice mixture) into the jars, leaving about an inch at the top.

If you process your jars (putting them into a pot that is at least two inches taller than the jars filled with water and boiling for 30 minutes), you can store them for a much longer time. I didn’t have any pots tall enough, so I didn’t process mine. That means these are going to go in the fridge and last about 3-4 weeks before going bad.

Once your jars start to cool, put on the lids and store your jars in the fridge.

Now comes the hard part. You have to keep these jars in the fridge for the next week as the brine is absorbed by the beets so that they’re flavored. One whole week before you get to taste the fruit of your labor.

By that time, you’ll already be reading next weeks recipe and getting your grocery list ready for our next adventure!

I do hope this is worth the wait for you, I know it was for me.

Happy Eating!

Pickled Beets Recipe

2018-07-03 15:13:58

Yields 3

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Ingredients

1. 6 medium sized beets
2. 2 cups white vinegar
3. 1 cup sugar
4. 1 tsp salt
5. 6 whole cloves
6. 3 1/2 sticks of cinnamon
7. 2 cups of water that beets are cooked in

Instructions

1. Take your beets and clip the leaves off, leaving about 2-3 inches of stem on the beet
2. In a large pan, place your beets with water that covers them completely. Turn on medium heat, and leave at a boil for about an hour.
3. Once they are done cooking, move beets into a bowl of ice water and lightly rub them to remove skin and stems that should come off easily.
4. Take out two cups of beet water from your pot and set aside. In a smaller pot, add the two cups of beet water, along with two cups of white vinegar, sugar, and salt. Keep on a low heat until the sugar dissolves.
5. Add 2 cloves and half a cinnamon stick into each jar. Slice beets and distribute them evenly into the three pint jars that you have. Spoon the brine (beet juice mixture) into the jars, leaving about an inch at the top. Screw on lids.
6. Process or let cool before putting them in the fridge. Without processes they should hold up 3-4 weeks (if you don’t eat them sooner!)

By Candice @ MyLittleGreenGarden

My Little Green Garden https://mylittlegreengarden.com/