I’ve always been a fan of pickled beets. I’m not sure how or when this love affair started, but even as a little girl I remember eagerly diving into these, whether at the dinner table or as a quick snack.
Beets are healthy and superbly high in a variety of vitamins. I also enjoy them in salads and boiled or steamed as a side vegetable for meat and fish. Oh, and grilled with a simple dab of butter, yum! Or how about in a Red Flannel Hash? Beets are also a great addition to baked goods like chocolate cake and brownies.
How do you like to prepare beets?
But beets lend themselves particularly well to pickling. Stock up on fresh beets while in season, pickle them, and then enjoy them all the year long! Pickled beets are great on their own, as a side, and go great in things like pasta salads, spreads and relishes.
How do you use pickled beets? Share your ideas with us!
Okay, let’s get started on those Homemade Pickled Beets!
Thoroughly scrub and wash the beets. Leave the skins on or they will bleed while boiling and lose their color.
Place the beets in a large pot of water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer covered for 35 minutes, depending on the size of the beets, until the beets are soft when pierced with a fork. Drain the beets and remove them from the pot to let cool until you can comfortably handle them.
Meanwhile, add the vinegar, sugar and spices to the pot and bring to a boil.
Peel the skins and slice the beets in 1/4 inch thick slices.
Place the sliced beets back in the pot and simmer for another 5 minutes.
Ladle the sliced beets into the jars, spooning enough liquid over them to completely cover while leaving 1/4 inch head space from the top of the jar rim. Place the canning lids on the jars and process for 30 minutes in a water bath.
I like and recommend Granite Ware’s Enamel-on-Steel Canner.
Store in a dark cool place. The pickled beets are ready to eat in 2 weeks (and get even better with age) and will keep up to a year.
Enjoy!
Did you know? Pickled beets are the traditional side dish for Swedish Kalops, a classic and authentic Swedish beef stew.
- 6 pounds red beets, washed and scrubbed clean
- 4 cups white vinegar (5% acidity)
- 1¾ cup sugar
- 1 stick cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon whole cloves
- 1 teaspoon whole allspice berries
- 1½ teaspoon salt
- Place the beets in a large pot of water and bring to a boil (do not peel the skins or the beets will bleed and lose their color). Reduce the heat and simmer covered for 35 minutes, depending on the size of the beets, until the beets are soft when pierced with a fork.
- Drain the beets and remove them from the pot to let cool until you can comfortably handle them (discard the beet water). Meanwhile, add the vinegar, sugar and spices to the pot and bring to a boil.
- Peel the skins and slice the beets in ¼ inch thick slices. Place the sliced beets back in the pot with the vinegar solution and simmer for another 5 minutes.
- Ladle the sliced beets into the jars, spooning enough liquid over them to completely cover while leaving ¼ inch head space from the top of the jar rim. Place the canning lids on the jars and process for 30 minutes in a water bath. Store in a dark cool place. The pickled beets are ready to eat in 2 weeks, get even better with age, and will keep up to a year.
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Linda says
Does reducing the amount of sugar i pact the safety of the pickled beets? I tend to like a more tart flavour.