Pickled Beets
Pickled beets are a delicious way to preserve beets and amplify their flavor at the same time.
Ingredients
- 4 lbs Beets 2 to 2 1/2 inch Diameter
- 2 cups Vinegar White or Apple Cider
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 12 to 16 cloves 3-4 per pint
- 12 to 16 allspice berries 3-4 per pint
- 1/4 to 1/2 onion sliced
Instructions
- Prepare beets by boiling until tender, roughly 20 to 25 minutes for small beets.
- Strain beets (discarding liquid) and allow them to cool. Cut off tops and roots, then peel with finger pressure.
- Slice beets (or leave whole) and pack into pint jars. Add 3-4 cloves and allspice berries to each jar, along with a slice or two of onion.
- If canning, prepare a water bath canner by warming the water to roughly 140 degrees F. (This is a cold pack recipe, for hot pack see notes.)
- In a clean pot, add vinegar, water, sugar, salt, and a cinnamon stick. Bring the mixture to a boil and simmer 5 minutes, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Remove from heat and discard the cinnamon stick.
- Pour the brine over the beets in the jars, maintaining a 1/2 inch headspace. Cap with 2 part lids, tightening to finger tight.
- If canning, process the pickled beets for 30 minutes (under 1000 feet in elevation), starting the timer once the canner has reached a full rolling boil. See notes for altitude adjustments.
- For refrigerator pickled beets, skip the canning step and simply allow the jars to cool to room temperature on a towel on the counter before storing in the refrigerator.
Refrigerator pickled beets will keep roughy 3-4 weeks in the refrigerator. Properly water bath canned pickled beets will maintain quality on the pantry shelf without refrigeration for 12 to 18 months if sealed. Store in the refrigerator once opened.
Notes
Cold Pack v. Hot Pack - I've written this as a cold pack recipe, where the beets are cool in the canning jars when a boiling brine is poured over them. The beets cool the brine considerably. For cold packs, the water in the canner should be hot, but nowhere near boiling (around 140 degrees F). If you prefer to hot pack, simmer the beets in the brine for 5 minutes to heat them through before packing them into the jars. In that case, the canner should be roughly 180 degrees F when the jars go in (simmering). This matches the temperature of the canner to that of the jars, reducing the risk of thermal shock (broken jars).
This is true for any water bath canning recipe, not just pickled beets. To read more about, refer to this beginners guide to water bath canning.
Jar Sizes - This recipe can be canned in quarter pints, half pints, pints, or quarts. The canning times are the same regardless of the jar size. Do not use half-gallon jars.
Altitude Adjustments - The canning time is 30 minutes below 1,000 feet in elevation. For higher elevations, use:
- 1,001 to 3,000 Feet Process for 35 Minutes
- 3,001 to 6,000 Feet Process for 40 Minutes
- Above 6,001 Feet Process for 45 Minutes