Beets are one of my absolute favorite things to grow in the garden. The colors are magnificent and I love a freshly roasted beet salad. Canning pickled beets is a close runner up for me. I love anything pickled but beets have such a beautiful and earthy taste to them. You can sweeten or spice them up and they make for the perfect addition to any plate.
I am here to walk you through the process that I use to pickle and can the beets I harvest from my garden. One of the best parts is seeing the variations of color and patterns and then coming out with the perfect concoction to add to my shelf. Even my kids enjoy the process from start to finish!
I did these pickled beets right in my water bath canner. It was simple and quick for me to process. In the world of canning that is a win!
Cooking Beets for Canning
Preparing your beets for canning and pickling is really easy. You want to make sure you wash and scrub them well. You can cut off the greens about a 1/2 inch to an inch up. Leave your skins on. Removing skins before the boiling process can make you loose your beautiful coloring on the beets.
Fill a pot with water, making sure that your larger beets are placed in first and your smaller beets on top.
Allow this water to come to a rolling boil and maintain that. You will want to cook these beets down until fork tender. This could be anywhere between 20-40 minutes. Remove from water and strain while running under cool water.
Make sure through this next process you are careful of not spilling any water and that you have a protected surface to peel and cut on. Wear gloves if you find it necessary. There can be staining.
Once your beets are fork tender go ahead and slip peel them. (The skins should slip right off of the beet at this point.) You can slip peel under cool water and this might help the process go by a bit less messy and quicker.
Preparing Beets and Mason Jars for Canning
Start by cutting off the tops and roots completely.
Chop up your beets. Larger beets can be quartered or sectioned. Small beets could be kept whole.
If you are like me and have a variation of colors, go ahead and mix them up. It makes for great blend in the jar for both appearance and taste.
These are going to be the most colorful pop of delicious pickled veg you have stored!
You can add in chopped onions and variations of whole spices to your jars directly or you can prepare a picking spice cloth to use in your pot!
Canning Pickled Beets
Ingredients
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup water
- 2-1/2 cups white vinegar, or apple cider vinegar
- 2 tsp whole mustard seed
- 1 tsp chili flakes
- 1/2 tsp peppercorns
Directions
- Place your washed and scrubbed beets into a pan and submerge in water. Bring to a rolling boil and maintain boil until beets are fork tender, typically 20-40 minutes depending on the size.
- Drain your beets and rinse under cool running water.
- Chop off tops and roots completely and slip peel your beets.
- Cut beets into quarters or chunk up.
- Combine vinegar, water and sugar in a pan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and allow to gently boil for 15 minutes, stirring until sugar is dissolved.
- Place beets into brine and return to a boil.
- Place mustard seed, chili flakes and peppercorns into clean and sterilized mason jar.
- Add beets and pickling brine to jars using a spoon leaving about 1/2 inch of headspace.
- Remove air bubbles by pushing a thin spatula down into the jar several times.
- Wipe the rim of the jar and seal your lids into place.
- Place jars into water bath making sure that they are completely covered in water.
- Cover and bring water to a boil. Once water is boiling, allow them to process for 30 mins.
Finishing your Jars
Remove jars from canner and set out for 24 hours.
Check the seal of your lids. Remove band and while supporting the bottom of jar gently pull on lid. If it remains intact it is ready to be labeled and put on your shelf. If it is not sealed you can start the processing over or place into the refrigerator to enjoy within 3-6 weeks.
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Store in a cool, dry place for 12-18 months.
Canning Pickled Beets
Ingredients
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup water
- 2-1/2 cups white vinegar, or apple cider vinegar
- 2 tsp whole mustard seed
- 1 tsp chili flakes
- 1/2 tsp peppercorns
- 8-10 cups chopped beets
Instructions
- Place your washed and scrubbed beets into a pan and submerge in water. Bring to a rolling boil and maintain boil until beets are fork tender, typically 20-40 minutes depending on the size.
- Drain your beets and rinse under cool running water.
- Chop off tops and roots completely and slip peel your beets.
- Cut beets into quarters or chunk up.
- Combine vinegar, water and sugar in a pan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and allow to gently boil for 15 minutes, stirring until sugar is dissolved.
- Place beets into brine and return to a boil.
- Place mustard seed, chili flakes and peppercorns into clean and sterilized mason jar.
- Add beets and pickling brine to jars using a spoon leaving about 1/2 inch of headspace.
- Remove air bubbles by pushing a thin spatula down into the jar several times.
- Wipe the rim of the jar and seal your lids into place.
- Place jars into water bath making sure that they are completely covered in water.
- Cover and bring water to a boil. Once water is boiling, allow them to process for 30 mins.
Notes
Remove jars from canner and set out for 24 hours.
Check the seal of your lids. Remove band and while supporting the bottom of jar gently pull on lid. If it remains in tact it is ready to be labeled and put on your shelf. If it is not sealed you can start the processing over or place into the refrigerator to enjoy within 3-6 weeks.
Store jar in a cool dry place for 12 to 18 months.
Instead of adding spices directly to the jar you can make a pickling season that you place into a cheesecloth or mesh bag and add it to the pot while preparing your pickling liquid. This will infuse the liquid with the flavor without adding it directly to the jar and is a common practice. I like to add some flavor in my jar and let it work it’s magic over time.
While my recipe is a bit more on the spicy side beets are delicious served and pickled sweet too. Here are some commonly used herbs and spices that people pickle beets with….
- Bay leaves
- Cinnamon stick
- Cloves
- Allspice
- Dill
- Pink salt
- Citrus zest
There is so much to play with the flavor of this delicious canned veggie. Go ahead and get some prepared in your kitchen and WOW your guests at your next dinner party with a gorgeous rainbow of color to the salad plate.
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Love, light and a little grace…
-Olivia
Olivia Whalen is mama to three young girls who is devoted to creative learning, exploration and free range imagination. Olivia enjoys thinking outside of the box when it comes to preparing homemade baby food or meals for her family. She most enjoys allowing the little minds in her life to flourish and with that you will see her write about creative kid crafts, recipes that fit a family budget and keep everyone asking for more, tips and tricks for a tiny babe, and beginner homesteader fun! Some of her hobbies include gardening, hiking, reading, cooking or just basking in motherhood.