How to Can Home Made Pickled Beets
Making your own pickled beets is a relatively simple way of preserving an overly bountiful beet harvest. Their finished flavor is tangy, while still retaining some of the beets' original earthiness. You can eat them plain if you like, or incorporate them into other recipes. While the process of canning your own may sound intimidating, the final product is significantly more flavorful than the store-bought version. If you have never canned your own produce before, you may be surprised by how simple the process truly is. Does this Spark an idea?
Things You'll Need
- Knife
- Pot
- Fork
- 4 cups vinegar
- 2 cups water
- 2 cups sugar
- 1.5 tbsp. salt
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 12 cloves
- Canning jars, lids and rings
- Water bath canner
- Jar tongs
- Ladle
Instructions
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1
Wash your beets thoroughly, and cut off the leafy greens and the long, trailing roots. If you enjoy eating beet greens, you can set them aside for later.
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2
Place the trimmed beets in a pot large enough to easily hold all of them. Cover them completely in water, and then bring the water to a boil. Cover the pot and boil the beets over medium heat until you can easily pierce them with a fork. Depending on the size of your beets, this may take anywhere from approximately 25 to 45 minutes.
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3
Sterilize your canning jars while you wait for the beets to finish cooking. Boil the jars for approximately 10 minutes in your boiling water canner. The jars should be right-side up and completely underwater by at least an inch. Leave the jars under the hot water until you are ready to use them.
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4
Drain the cooked beets. Cut them into chunks or slices. If they are fairly small, you may leave them whole, if you wish.
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5
Make a pickling brine of your choice. If you wish to experiment with a creative brine, feel free to do so. Otherwise, mix the vinegar, water, sugar, salt, cinnamon sticks and cloves, as recommended by the National Center for Home Food Preservation.
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6
Bring your pickling brine to a boil. Boil the mixture for approximately 5 minutes, then strain out any spices you added. Place the beets into the solution and simmer them for approximately 5 more minutes.
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7
Remove one of your sterilized jars from its hot water bath with jar tongs. Pour the hot water back into the water bath canner. Fill the jar snugly with beets, leaving approximately 1/2 inch of space at the top of the jar. Repeat this process until you have placed all your beets into jars.
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Ladle the hot pickling brine over the beets in each jar to completely cover the beets. Leave 1/2 to 1/4 inch of empty space at the top of each jar. Place a ring and lid on each of the jars and close the jars firmly.
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9
Place the filled jars into your hot water canner. Bring the water -- which should still be hot -- back to a boil. Boil the jars for 30 minutes if your elevation is under 1000 feet, 35 minutes for 1000 to 3000 feet, 40 minutes for 3000 to 6000 feet and 45 minutes for anything higher.
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10
Remove the jars from the boiling water and gently put them in a place where they will not be disturbed. Allow them to cool overnight, and then press down on the top of each jar. Properly sealed jars will not give under pressure; if the lid dents down when you push and bounces back up when you let go, the jar in question is not safe to consume.
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Tips & Warnings
Do not consume the contents of any jar that has a bulging lid, as this can indicate that the contents of the jar may cause botulism poisoning. Botulism is serious and can cause death, so do not take a chance on a jar that looks suspicious in any way.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit Brand X Pictures/Brand X Pictures/Getty Images
