Pickled Beets
Old-fashioned pickled beets in a sweet and tangy brine with cinnamon, cloves and allspice. The beets are hot packed and water bath canned, or kept in the fridge as quick pickles.
Servings: 16 servings, makes 4 pints
Equipment
- Canning Jars, Lids, and Rings
Ingredients
- 4 lbs Beets 2 to 2 1/2 inch Diameter
- 2 cups Vinegar white or apple cider, 5% acidity
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 whole cinnamon stick
- 12 to 16 cloves 3-4 per pint
- 12 to 16 whole allspice berries 3-4 per pint
- 1/4 to 1/2 medium onion sliced
Instructions
- Trim the greens, leaving about 1 inch of stem and the roots on.
- Boil the beets until tender, about 20 to 25 minutes for small beets.
- Drain the beets, let them cool, cut off the stems and roots, and slip off the skins.
- Slice the beets 1/4 inch thick, or leave very small ones whole. Thinly slice the onion.
- Heat the water bath canner to a simmer, about 180 degrees F.
- Bring the vinegar, water, sugar, salt and cinnamon to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar.
- Add the beets and onion and simmer 5 minutes, until hot through. Remove the cinnamon.
- Pack the hot beets and onion into the jars, add the cloves and allspice, and ladle in the hot brine with 1/2 inch headspace. Wipe the rims and cap finger tight.
- Process pints or quarts for 30 minutes from a full rolling boil, adjusting for altitude (see notes).
- Turn off the heat, rest the jars 5 minutes in the canner, then cool them 12 to 24 hours before checking the seals.
Notes
Yield: 4 lbs of beets makes about 4 pints.
Brine: The brine is 2 parts vinegar to 1 part water, and the vinegar has to be 5% acidity. Don't cut the vinegar. The salt and spices are there for flavor.
Per-jar spices: Each pint gets 3 to 4 whole cloves and 3 to 4 allspice berries.
Hot pack: The 30 minute canning time is for a hot pack, with the beets and onion simmered in the brine for 5 minutes before they go into the jars. Have the canner at a simmer, about 180 degrees F, when the jars go in so they don't crack.
Jar sizes: Pints and quarts process for the same time, and so do half pints and quarter pints. Don't use half-gallon jars.
Canning optional: For refrigerator pickled beets, pour the hot brine over cooked, cooled beet slices in clean jars, let them cool on the counter, then refrigerate. They're ready in a few days and keep 3 to 4 weeks.
Altitude adjustments: Processing time for pints or quarts in a water bath canner.
- 0 to 1,000 feet: 30 minutes
- 1,001 to 3,000 feet: 35 minutes
- 3,001 to 6,000 feet: 40 minutes
- Above 6,000 feet: 45 minutes
Nutrition
Calories: 118kcal | Carbohydrates: 24g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 0.3g | Saturated Fat: 0.1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.04g | Sodium: 236mg | Potassium: 391mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 20g | Vitamin A: 42IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 28mg | Iron: 1mg
