<<Deborah's remarks: I follow this prep, adding whole cloves and cardamom for the pantry. But when I am making it for the immediate table, I add carrots, leeks, halved cloves of garlic. They
keep for about a month in the fridge.>>
from:
www.soeasytopreserve.com Pickled Beets
7 lbs of 2- to 2-1/2-inch diameter beets
4 cups vinegar (5 percent)
1-1/2 teaspoons 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
Yield: About 8 pints
Procedure:
Trim off beet tops, leaving 1 inch of stem and roots to prevent bleeding of color.
Wash thoroughly. Sort for size. Cover similar sizes together with boiling water and cook until tender (about 25 to 30 minutes).
Caution: Drain and discard liquid.
Cool beets. Trim off roots and stems and slip off skins. Slice into 1/4-inch slices.
Peel and thinly slice onions. Combine vinegar, salt, sugar, and fresh water. Put spices in cheesecloth bag and add to vinegar mixture. Bring to a boil. Add beets and onions. Simmer 5 minutes. Remove spice bag. Fill jars with beets and onions, leaving 1/2-inch headspace. Add hot vinegar solution, allowing 1/2-inch headspace.
Adjust lids and process according to the recommendations in Table 1.
Variation:
Pickled whole baby beets. Follow above directions but use beets that are 1- to 1-1/2 inches in diameter. Pack whole; do not slice. Onions may be omitted.
Table 1.
Recommended process time for Pickled Beets in a boiling-water canner.
Process Time at Altitudes of
Style of Pack
Jar Size
0 - 1,000 ft
1,001 - 3,000 ft
3,001 - 6,000 ft
Above 6,000 ft
Hot
Pints or Quarts
30 min
35
40
45
This document was adapted from the "Complete Guide to Home Canning," Agriculture Information Bulletin No. 539, USDA, revised 1994.
Reviewed June 2006.
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