Pickled Beets Canning and Preserving

Ah, summer!  The garden is thriving and we all want to preserve our fruits and vegetables as long as we can.  One of our favorite vegetables is beets.  Fresh, roasted, boiled or canned, no matter how you slice them up, we enjoy them. Today’s job, pickled beets canning and preserving them.

We love to eat beets fresh from the garden. My first three meals are always enjoyed by Boiling them and adding butter. Although, there are seasons where we have grown extra beets for canning to make pickled beets.

They are a good way to get you through the winter.  Most certainly beating out the tin tasting canned store varieties.

Now that you have all those fresh garden beets you are wondering what you can do with them.  Let’s get canning.  It isn’t that difficult.

Have You Canned Before? 

If you have never canned before, please read How To Can Fruits and Vegetable – What You Will Need. That may give you a starting point.  There are a wealth of resources out there to teach you the basics.  Once you take the plunge, you will find a monumental savings in your food bill.

Finding Free Food

I find when people have extra produce during the growing season they are willing to give it away or even trade.  For me, that is money in my pocket.  I’m a little tight in that department. I’d rather spend my grocery money on travel and fun. Stretching my dollars where I can affording me to splurge in other parts of my life.

Let’s Get Canning!

Materials:

Yields 32 servings
8 Quarts beets
3 1/2 Cups sugar
2 Cups white vinegar
2 Cups water

Directions:

1.) Wash beets, leaving buds and roots intact.

2.) Combine beets with water to cover in large sauce pan. Cook over medium heat for 3-1/2 to 4 hours or until beets are tender. Drain, peel and slice beets.

3.) Combine sugar, vinegar and 2 cups water in saucepan. Bring to boil and reduce heat to simmer for 5 minutes.

4.) Ladle beets into hot sterilized 1 quart jars. Pour sugar mixture into jars, leaving 1/2 headspace, seal with 2 piece lids.

5.) Process in boiling water bath for 10 minutes. Yields 32 servings.

Guess what?  I have tons of canned beets. Free beets for just picking them up!  Plenty of add on veggies for my supper meals. Plus lunches. Strange but true fact, I will eat a half a jar for lunch some days.