Easy Pickled Beets

Easy Pickled Beets

Tom here from Stone Soup. Try this quick and easy recipe to preserve those beets. You can use large beets and slice or quarter them, small beets whole, or a combination. We like the small, whole beets best.

Also, a quick note on salt: Is canning salt really necessary? The answer is yes and no. The iodine in regular table salt causes your canned food to look cloudy. It still tastes the same but, may not look very appetizing to some. Canning salt does not contain iodine.

Now to the recipe:

What you need:

1. 10 lbs beets
2. 4 cups white vinegar
3. 2 tsp whole cloves
4. 3 tsp canning salt
5. 2 cups white sugar

Preparation

1. Place beets in a large pot. Cover with water and bring to a boil. Let the beets cook for 10-15 minutes until tender. Take off heat and drain keeping 2-3 cubs of the juice. Let beets cool and peel. Cut large beets into thick slices or quarters. Small beets can be left whole.
2. Place jars and lids into boiling water for about 10 minutes. remove from water.
3. Place 2 or 3 cloves in the bottom of each jar and fill the jars with beets.
4. Combine left over beet water, sugar and salt in a large pan and bring to boil. Pour over the beets and fill with liquid.
5.Place a rack in the bottom of a large stockpot and fill to the halfway point with water.  Bring water to a boil and carefully lower jars into water. Add more hot water if necessary to cover lids of jars by 1 inch.  Let boil for 10 minutes and carefully remove jars from water and let cool.