Pickled Beets

There isn't alot of photography fluff here...just canning fall's bounty and moving on to the next project to wrap up this year's canning til next season.

I have several canning books and most of the recipes for pickled beets are the same.  I purchased yet more books this summer.  This one in particular caught my eye Canning For a New Generation.  The title piqued my interest.

The book is nice, but as this canning season comes to a close, I've decided what I really want to invest in is the tools to perform my own ph testing so that I can come up with my own recipes. So yep, ph testing equipment and a pressure canner is on the list for next year.

Last year my father made a comment that the beets I canned were just not sweet enough. So this year I perused different recipes.  I started with one from the above mentioned canning book and adjusted the sweetness to what I believe will be my father's liking.  I like this recipe in that it called for honey. Because I added more sweetener, I used agave and organic cane sugar. We'll see if Pops likes the beets more this year! :o)

Pickled Beets

makes approximately 4 pints

3 pounds beets, tops removed and scrubbed
2 cups cider vinegar
2 cups white vinegar
1 1/2 cups water
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup agave
1 cup organic cane sugar
2 tsp kosher salt
2 cinnamon sticks
1 tsp whole allspice
1 tsp whole cloves

Cook the beets in boiling water until tender, 20-30 minutes. Drain and transfer to a bowl of ice water to cool.  Rub off the skins, trim, quarter, and cut into 1/2" cubes. Set aside.

In a 6-8 qt stainless steel stock pot, combine the vinegar, water, honey, agave, sugar, salt and spices.  Bring to a boil over high heat, dissolving sugar. Add beets and bring just to a simmer.

Working quickly and using a slotted spoon, transfer hot beets into sterilized jars along with a few spices.  Ladle or pour in the hot vinegar mixture, leaving 1/2" head space at the top.  Remove air bubbles from each jar using butter knife.  Use a damp paper towel to wipe the rims of the jars, then put a flat lid and ring on each jar, adjusting the ring so that it's just finger-tight.  Place the jars in a water bath canning pot, making sure the water covers the jars by at least 1".  Bring to a boil, and process for 30* minutes.  Remove the jars to a towel and do not disturb for 12 hrs.  After 1 hour, check that the lids have sealed by pressing down on the center of each lid; if it can be pushed down, it hasn't sealed, and the jar should be refrigerated immediately. Store for at least 90 days prior to eating.

*Add 5 minutes for El. 5,500ft