It may seem a bit odd that I am posting a beet canning recipe this time of year. It’s just May right? Nowhere near harvest season. Well, I have some store bought canned beets that we will never eat in that form. So, I have decided to take the syrup recipe from these directions and re-can those beets. I’ve never tried this before, so I’m not sure if it will work. If it does work, I’ve turned something my family will not eat into something they will. If it doesn’t work, I’ve lost very little. I think it’s worth a try.
This recipe was passed to me by my dear aunt Karen, who upon hearing that I “hated” beets convinced me to try one of hers. It was love at first bite! Now, many years later, I have witnessed that same reaction in family and friends when they’ve said the same thing to me and I convinced them to try mine. Only one person every said to me that they still didn’t like them. Most asked for a jar to take home and/or the recipe.
These beets are fairly easy, although they do take a bit of time cleaning and preparing. This recipe is easily adjusted to the amount of beets you wish to work with at a time. I’ve done anywhere from 1 canner run at a time to 4 bushels (that took a while) but, I always break it down into manageable amounts. The amount of sweetness is also easily adjusted, (more about that in the directions).
INGREDIENTS:
Beets
Sugar
White
Vinegar
Water
The amount
needed for each is determined by how many beets you want to work with at a
time.
DIRECTIONS:
First: Cut all but 1 inch off of leaves and
stems of beets (yes, this will leave 1 inch of leaf and stem on the beet) and
Do Not cut the root, at all (cutting causes the beet to “bleed” too much curing
boiling). Scrub clean. Place appropriate size pan ~ one that will hold the
beets, covered with water and room to boil. Once they have reached a boil,
continue boiling until the largest of the beets are easy to stick a fork into,
but not too soft (time varies depending on size of beets). Once they reach this
stage, strain them and let cool until they are cool enough for you to handle.
Slip off stems, skin and roots and pack into prepared jars in whatever form you
prefer: whole, sliced, diced, halved. Leave a ¼ in headspace in jar. Set aside.
Second: Bring to boil and continue to boil
for 15 minutes:
Equal
amounts sugar and white vinegar and half of the amount of water.
For Example:
1 cup sugar, 1 cup vinegar, ½ cup water. You can start with this mix and adjust
to your taste: want them less sweet? Remove some of the sugar and/or add more
vinegar. You can also adjust the water
if the “syrup” is too thick or strong for your taste.
Third: Once you’ve
boiled your “syrup” for 15 minutes, pour over beets in jars leaving ½ in
headspace. Try to remove any air bubbles by running a butter knife or
chopstick, etc around in the jar. Wipe rims of jars clean and cap. Process
these in water bath (canning method) for 30 minutes. Remove from water bath and
place where they can sit undisturbed until they are completely cooled.
