How to Can Pickled Beets

We've had such a unique start to spring and summer here at the Gray Boxwood Farm .

But spring and summer canning is finally here .

And I am so excited .

I love to preserve things that I grow in the garden all year long and to enjoy them , especially in the coldest months of winter .

And today I'm going to bring you one of my absolute favorite things to have on hand pickled beets .

I know it sounds extremely odd and kind of sounds gross .

But if you go to any gourmet shop or any good grocer , you're gonna find jars of these wonderful pickled beets and why not do them for yourself at home .

It's one of the quickest and easiest things to can .

And I think after you have a bite , you are gonna love them .

They're great on salads or on a relish tray or to give us a gift .

They are so simple and so delicious to start .

You need a strong £3 of beets .

I use a dark Detroit bread beet .

These are a deep red color and they're the really what's most iconic when you think of a pickled beat .

You can use any beat , especially if you have golden beets or white beets .

But if you want the traditional beat , you want to use a dark red one to prepare the beats .

You want to make sure not to cut off the rods .

If you're buying them in the store , you don't have to worry about this because they're already prepared for you when they ship them .

But if you're pulling them from your garden , make sure to leave the root on and about an inch of the stem cut just an inch above the beat and leave the rest of the stem .

Otherwise they'll really kind of bleed out that dark red liquid before we cook them .

You want to make sure that you scrub them well , just to get all the extra dirt and debris that's on them from the garden .

I just use a good brush kind of like a potato brush and just brush around each beat , place them into a large kettle and cover them with water , set them on your stove and bring them to a boil .

This is where it takes a little bit of guess work .

Since beets are each in different size , you kind of need to be checking them throughout the whole process and take them out as they're done for the really small ones .

It may only take 10 to 15 minutes for some of the larger ones .

It may take 15 to 20 upwards of 25 minutes , depending how large they are poke them with a knife and when they're tender for a knife , but still just a little bit of resistance in the middle , they're ready to come out .

Let the beats cool until they're cool enough to handle .

Once you're able to pick them up , they are so easy to peel .

This is such a nice way to do it .

I always use gloves because the dark red liquid can really stain in your hands .

And so if you're going anywhere , everyone's gonna wonder what you're doing and it probably looks like you just committed a crime , but you didn't .

So if you want to make sure to leave that off , just wear a pair of gloves .

Once all the beats are peeled , you're ready to start assembling everything you need to can .

These canning really is not as scary or as large a process as a lot of people think it can be simple in your large canning water bath , kettle , fill it at least halfway with water and let it come to a boil .

This is where you're gonna sterilize and can your jars .

Once it's at a full boil , dip each jar inside the boiling water and let them sit there for a couple of minutes , then take them out and let them dry without a rag , let them air dry .

This will ensure that they're sterilized and clean for use .

You even want to do this if you're using brand new jars because who knows in the factory where they've been touched or what could be on them .

Once you're ours are sterilized , you also want to make sure that your lids are ready .

Follow the instructions on the lids .

Most of them say just to wash them in warm soapy water and let them dry .

This is exactly what I do .

So just wash them and have them ready to go when you're canning .

It's best to have everything ready to go because right at the moment you need it .

It's best not to have to quick turn and do something .

So just have it right beside you in a separate kettle .

You want to prepare your brine .

This is a really easy brine that actually I use for so many different things .

It's two cups of water , two cups of white distilled vinegar and two cups of sugar and then just one teaspoon of salt .

It's such a simple brine and you , it's so easy to remember .

You don't even need a recipe .

Put this in a kettle and put it on your stove and let it come to a simmer to assemble the jars .

I just start by cleaning a little bit of fresh cut onion in the bottom of each jar .

I of course , hold this straight from my garden and just cleaned it and cut it and put it right into the jar .

You can buy it and use a yellow onion or you can use white onion .

I wouldn't use red as it doesn't have as much structure and wouldn't keep up as well in the jar .

Cut however much you like directly into the bottom of the jar .

I like a lot of onions .

So I put quite a bit in , once you have your onion in the bottom of the jar , you can just start slicing your beats directly into the jar for the big ones .

I sometimes either have them or quarter to them and slice them on a different angle just to make sure they fit into the jar .

You can do whatever works best slightly pack them into the jar , but don't push too hard .

If you push too hard and make them way too tight , it could bulge the lids .

£3 of beets will yield you about six pints of canned pickled beets .

Once you have your jars full of your cut beef , you top them with a little bit more fresh cut onion .

If you're worried and don't like too much onion , you can of course leave this out .

This is just something that I love and really helps flavor the beats .

You will also want to make sure to leave a half inch of head space at the top of the jar .

Once your jars are full of beef and onions , you're ready to pour on the brine and can these make sure your brine comes up to a full boil before you pour it on any time you're ready to can something it has to be poured in boiling hot .

Also , make sure your water bath is at its boiling point .

So these can go directly into the water bath .

Pour the boiling brine on each jar once again , leaving a half inch of head space , headspace is the amount of empty space at the top of each jar .

Just make sure to leave a half inch .

If you pack something too tight , they won't , can .

And it's too much effort not to have something canned .

Once you pour the brine on , make sure to wipe off the top of the jar with a little bit of boiling water .

I always just have a little bit ready and dip some paper towel into it and clean off the jar .

You just wanna make sure to get any drips of brine or anything else at the top of your jar away .

So when you put your lid on , there is a good seal place , a lid and a ring on each jar and tighten just until you feel it catch , you'll notice you don't want to go too tight that you can't tighten it anymore .

So just a little bit and then you'll know you're there .

If you turn your lid too tight , your jar has the potential to buckle while it's canning and the lid will just pop and dent and then it won't seal .

So make sure just not to go too tight .

This is all a learning experience and don't worry , I have had plenty of my share of jars that don't , can even .

This year , I've had a couple that don't and I just put them in the fridge and eat them .

Once your jars are assembled , the lids and rings are on , just place them directly into your boiling water bath .

Make sure it covers all the jars with water , if not add a little bit of water and just make sure it's at least an inch over the jars .

It doesn't really matter how much as long as it's over the jars .

When it's at a full boil again .

You wanna process these for 10 minutes process just means the amount of time that they're sitting in a boiling water bath .

Once the Timmins are done , use a jar lifter and pull the jars out slightly , letting the water off the top by just turning them , place them onto a towel or on a cutting board and let them cool completely .

And you will soon hear the music to a canners ears , music to a canter's ears is that little pop you hear when the lid just seals and it is so sweet to hear .

I hope you can enjoy these wonderful pickled beats .

It's one of my favorite treats and soon we are going to be bombarding you with great canning videos .

It is becoming the prime season for all these canned goods and I love the can and preserve so many things .

So stay tuned for all the great summer canning options we have coming for you .

Thanks for watching this video to see more videos that you might enjoy .

Click over here or click down here and subscribe to our channel to see all the great new videos we come out with each week .

I can't wait to see you again .