We were given a huge bag of beets. These were some monster beets(3 were the size of softballs!). I have only pickled beets once before by myself. Dads grandma always made these and all 6 of us LOVE them! There was no way I was going to turned them down!
So I went from the memory recipe that Grammy taught me! First you need to peel the beets and chop them down to eating size. Then I boil them in a mixture of 1/2 apple cider vinegar and 1/2 water and about 1 cup of sugar. Taste and add sugar to how sweet you like it. I boiled them on a soft boil for about 1 hour.
I forgot to take pictures throughout the whole process (sorry) but the next step is to fill your jars 2/3 the way with the beets. Then fill to cover beets with the juice from the pot. You need to leave at least 1/4 inch of air space or they will not seal properly.
Boil the sealing lid for about 5 minutes and place them on top lightly screw the lid on. Boil the entire jar(fully submerged) for about 10 minutes or so. Pull out (you can find the proper tools at stores like Farm and Fleet or Walmart) and set on a folded towel. DO NOT touch the lid until you hear them popping. That means they are sealed.
And this picture is a warning to be careful. You never know when a jar may have a teeny tiny crack. The bottom of this one blew out!
My Mom made these each year on Meylor Lane...our whole house would stink for days! Lol!
ReplyDeleteYes Ash, my house STUNK! But they are so good, it is like Deviled Eggs!
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