Pickled Beets

A hint of cinnamon makes this pickled beets recipe a winner.

pickled beets

When canning beets you need to process in a pressure canner.

But with pickling, vinegar is added and acidifies the beets. Therefore, pickled beets can be processed safely in a Water Bath Canner

My recommendation is to do this recipe in pints.

Prepare

Gather your canning supplies

water bath canner
canning jars
canning seals and rings
jar lifter
canning funnel
large pot
bowls
large spoons
sharp knife
towels and dish cloths
ladle

Ingredients

Beets - enough to make 3 quarts
2 cups sugar
1 stick of cinnamon
1T whole allspice
1 1/2 tsp salt
3 1/2 cups vinegar
1 1/2 cups water

Start by preparing jars, and get water in your canner heating.
(see Water Bath Canning for full directions)

Procedure

Wash beets- Cut stems to about 2 inches, and leave on the tap root. This will help keep the color when you boil the beets to loosen the skins.

Skin beets -Cook beets in boiling water until skins will slip off.

This will take a couple of minutes. It helps to scrape a spoon against the beets while cooking to see when the skins start to scrape off easily.

I often have a variety of sizes of beets. I try to sort my beets and cook those of similar size together. The larger ones will take a little longer to loosen the skins.

Remove from water and cool in very cold water. When cool enough to handle, use your hands to slip the skins off. Use a knife for the stubborn spots. Cut off the tops and tap roots at this point.

Slice or chop your beets to the desired size. I usually slice or cut into chunks.

Prepare the pickling solution.

Combine -vinegar, water, sugar, cinnamon, allspice, salt.
Bring to a boil. Simmer for 15 minutes. Remove cinnamon sticks.

Pack prepared beets into hot canning jars, leaving 1-inch head space.

Cover beets in jars with hot vinegar solution leaving 1-inch head space. Remove air bubbles with a plastic knife or other small tool. I like to use an orange peeler.

Wipe rims clean and process according to water bath canning directions.

This makes 6 pints.

Process

pints and quarts- process for 30 minutes

Altitude Adjustments for Boiling Water Bath Canner
Altitude in Feet	Increase processing time
1001-3000	5 minutes
3001-6000	10 minutes
6001-8000	15 minutes
8001-10,000	20 minutes