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Since
I, personally, don't like to take the time to can vegetables, I always want
to either refrigerate or freeze them. This is a very easy and delicious way
to make pickled beets. My husband loves them!
More delicious
Beet Recipes. Check out this delicious recipe for
Pickled Beets and Eggs
and photo tutorial on
Oven-Roasted Fresh Beets.
Pickled Whole Beets
3 pounds fresh small whole beets (use
similar size beets)*
2 cups apple cider vinegar
2 cups water
2 cups granulated sugar
3 or 4 garlic cloves, sliced in half
* Small beets can be
pickled whole. Larger beets can be sliced in 1/4-inch slices or diced. In
this recipe, I used several different varieties of beets that were varying
sizes that I sliced.
How to cook the beets:
There are two (2) easy techniques
for cooking fresh beets - Your choice.
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Oven-Roasted
Fresh Beets: |
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Boiled Fresh
Beets: |
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Preheat oven to 350
degrees F. Place rack in middle of oven.
Use tender, freshly picked beets.
Wash and scrub the whole
beets to clean off any dirt. Leave the beet whole unless you have some extra
large ones (if extra large, cut in half). Trim off the stems (leafy tops) and ends of the beets. Reserve
beet leaves for a recipe using them.
On a large baking sheet,
cover with aluminum foil. Place prepared beets, in a single layer, on top. Toss lightly with
some olive oil to coat the beets. Place another large sheet of aluminum foil
on top of the beets and crunch up the sides of the aluminum foil together to
seal.
Place in oven and roast
approximately 1 hour or until tender and easily pierced with the tip of a
paring knife. Remove from oven and take off the top foil. Set aside to cool
enough to handle.
When cool enough to
handle, peel the skin off. They should peel easily by hand, but you can use
a paring knife if you want. (However, it's wise to use a paper towel or wear
gloves to keep the beet juice from staining your hands.)
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Use tender, freshly picked beets.
Wash, rinse and drain until all traces of
garden soil are removed. Use a small vegetable brush if needed. Cut off
leaves and stems, leaving about 1 inch of the root end. Reserve beet leaves
for a recipe using them.
Place beets in large
heavy pan and cover with water over medium-high heat. Bring just to a boil; reduce heat to medium,
cover and cook until fork tender, approximately 25 to 30 minutes. Remove
from heat and drain. Let beets cool until you can safely handle them.
Once cool
enough to hand, peel the skin off. They should peel easily by
hand, but you can use a paring knife if you want. (However, it's
wise to use a paper towel or wear gloves to keep the beet juice
from staining your hands.)
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How to make pickling brine:
In a large
saucepan over medium-high heat, add apple cider vinegar, water, sugar, and
garlic cloves; bring to a boil, stirring until sugar
melts. Reduce heat and let the pickling brine simmer approximately 5
minutes. Remove from heat and let brine cool before adding the cooked beets.
How to pickle beets:
Place sliced or whole cooked beet into a
large jar that will fit in your refrigerator. NOTE: I
personally like to slice the beets. Pour cooled Pickling Brine
over the beets and gently stir. Place, covered, in the refrigerator.
Let them sit in the refrigerator, maybe
stirring once in a while, at least a week before eating them. Give the beets
a chance to “pickle” and develop flavor before eating. These beets will last
a long time in the refrigerator, probably 2 to 3 months.
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