I personally am ‘one of those people who does not’ crave the flavor of Pickled Beets, but I do have a good recipe for them that my husband thinks is the best recipe in the world. I got the recipe from ‘the best cook in Waseca County’ so it was tried and true. I have tasted this recipe and it does have a good flavor, makes me wonder if a beet bar would go over… like carrot bars.
If you are lucky enough to have a garden, or in my case, an in-law who grows an excessive amount of big beets, perfect!
Fresh beets are always the best. It falls into the category of everything else. Tomatoes are better if ripened on the vine, in the sun, in comparison to store bought. Do you know what I mean? Well, the same is true with beets.
You’ll need two pans. The first pan for boiling the beets. The second pan will be used for mixing your sauce ingredients together. It should be big enough to hold the sauce and all the sliced, peeled beets, because you will have to simmer them in the sauce for fifteen minutes before you put them into jars and ‘can’ them.
To cook beets, you will put them in a pan of water, bring to a boil and simmer until they are tender. You will know when they are done, when you take a knife tip and poke one of the beets. If it pushes in easily, they are ready to be peeled.
Once the beets are cooked thoroughly, the skins should slide off easily. Discard the skin. Slice the beets. A lot of people who make pickled beets use a ‘garnisher blade’ because it adds a rippled edge to the beets. It’s a cosmetic detail that ‘looks pretty’. Some say it makes the beets taste even better, because they can taste the love in them.
I did cheat one year and use a can of sliced beets from the store. It seemed to work and although I confessed, no one seemed to mind.
Now, the beets are cooked and then peeled. Then sliced. You will mix the following together in have the mixture ready for the beets. Two cups of sugar, two cups of white vinegar, two cups of water, one teaspoon ground allspice, one teaspoon ground cloves, one teaspoon ground cinnamon, and one teaspoon of whole mustard seed.
You will bring the beets and sugar mixture to a boil, then you will reduce the heat to low and let the flavor work into the beets for at least fifteen minutes.
What size jars you use to can them is a personal choice. I have placed my beets in pint jars because it works out to be a good amount of beets for my husband, since I do not eat them, and he will sit down and eat the whole jar by himself. He has in the past, some years taken them in his lunch to work.
Whatever size jars you use, you will have to process them in a water bath canner for at least 15 minutes. One thing that is nice about this recipe is that other people, who do not can, will appreciate receiving a jar of these beets for Christmas. Enjoy!
