We grow our own beets and even though we try to pick them the same size, they often range from enormous to these tiny things. A wide range of sizes do not make uniformly cooked beets though. Every preserving book tells you to cook beets in whole, “for easy peeling”. I too tried having several pots going at the same time; a big pot for the large ones, a medium sized pot for the in between sized ones and a smaller pot for the smallish beets. I would bring them to boil, place on a lid and then hover over the stove in fear of overcooking them. Well that happened too. But I no longer cook my beets in whole. This year I made pickled beets similar to my beet salad; I peeled and sliced the beets raw. Then I packed them into sterilized jars, poured hot brine over them, put the lids on, screwed on the caps and popped them in the oven to cook and process both at the same time. This year's pickled beets should be the most uniformly cooked ever.
PICKLED BEETS
beetssugar
white vinegar
• Wash the beets.
• Remove both ends and peel off skin.
• Place peeled beets on a plastic cutting board. [Beets stain wood.]
• With a sharp chef’s knife cut beets in half.
• Place beets on the cut [flat] side and slice them thinly uniform.
• Arrange beets in sterilized jars.
• Make brine from equal amount of sugar and vinegar.
• Bring brine to boil an pour on the beets, leaving head space.
• Place snap lids in hot water for a couple of minutes.
• Wipe the rims and place on the lids.
• Screw on the tops.
• Place jars in oven at 250F for 2-1/2 hours.
