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Pickled Beets

Free Pickle Recipe - Pickled Beets

"From the National Center for Home Food Preservation website."

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 the tops of the beets, leaving 1 inch of stem and roots to prevent bleeding of color. Wash thoroughly, and then 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 roots and stems off and slip off skins. Slice into 1/4-inch slices. Peel and thinly slice the onions. Combine vinegar, salt, sugar, and fresh water. Put your spices in cheesecloth bag and add to vinegar mixture. Bring mixture 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 the same directiosn as above but use beets that are 1- to 1-1/2 inches in diameter. Pack whole; do not slice. Onions may be left out.

This document was extracted from the "Complete Guide to Home Canning," Agriculture Information Bulletin No. 539, USDA. Revised 1994.