Before I share this recipe, I need to apologize for my photography skills.
And by skills, I really mean, lack of.
Apparently, red beets + sunny day + flash on a digital camera = with the naked eye, you're just begging for permanent eye damage. These pictures require a pair of sunglasses with a valid seal of approval from the American Eye Association before viewing.
Go ahead and get some on. I'll wait.
*whistle*whistle*
Now that you are protected, I'll continue.
Beets. They don't care if my summer has been plagued with a late start, illness, or an-as-yet to be determined fall from a camper. They continue to grow regardless of the fact that our entire family was down with strep. Beets don't care if I am on crutches and have to lean over the sink, bearing weight on my "good" leg, which just so happens to be the one that is still suffering from numbness due to a back injury last year. They just continue on their journey to maturity.
Beets don't wait for no one. Not even me.
I prefer beets that are small in size; not too big to keep one's mouth from closing (grody), but not too small to be considered a choking hazard to small children. Alas, that is not what I got out of my garden this year. I got softball-sized beets.
Try putting one of those in your mouth. It's not pretty.
If you are one of the fortunate ones who harvested the perfect beets, by all means, pickle them whole. But, if like me, where the craziness of life interfered with the gardening season and you were only able to harvest humongous beets, shredding is best.
Trust me. It's for your own good.☺
~Spiced Pickled Beets~
~The Players~
Brine: 2 cups water
2 cups apple cider vinegar
2 cups organic sugar
1 t. ground cinnamon
1 t. ground cloves
1 t. ground allspice
Beets, washed with roots and shoots removed (save the shoots...greens...for dinner!)
In a large saucepan, mix the brine ingredients. Whisk to incorporate the spices. Set on med-high heat and bring to boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to low until needed.
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| This smells very autumny! |
In a large stockpot, cook washed beets until tender, but not mushy; 20-30 minutes. You want them to be firm, so do NOT overcook them!
Remove from pot and plunge into ice water to remove skins.
Use a food processor with a shredder attachment and shred the beets.
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| Still have your eye protection on? |
Fill pint-sized jars about 3/4 full. Cover with brine. Remove air bubbles by running a butter knife down the inside of the jars. Add more brine if needed to cover beets.
Process in a water bath canner for 20 minutes.
Enjoy over salads this winter!
5 comments:
That brine sounds wonderful, Like something I would drink on ice ! And your pics are fine, at least once I lost sight in my right eye my left eye compensated and automatically closed half/way to protect itself. After all that your pics were fine.
Ooh baby! Talk about red! :)
So glad to see you back. I missed you on your vacation. (hope it was fun!) I didn't get my daily fix of sarcastic hilarious posts from Kim. :( I adore that you can take a recipe and turn it into a post that makes me giggle with my morning coffee. You rock my early mornings, girl!
Donna~Your protective eye wear must not have had the seal of approval! :) And the brine...I'm thinking about mailing a sample to the Yankee or Scentsy people...a pickled candle scent. That's what I'm talkin' about! :)
MamaTea~It was a great vacay...first one where I've actually sat, and sat, and sat, and sat...my bum hurts from all that vacationing! But I did get some wonderful cuddles in with my youngest granddaughter! Thanks for the compliment~the feelin's mutual! :)
Love me some pickled beets! I have been making beet kvass with some of the beets from our CSA....good for you, and it tastes good too!
That looks wonderful, and just in time for me! I'd never considered shredding the beats, but that seems like a great idea to me. I think I might have to try that. :) Thanks!
Oh, and way to hang in there! Sounds like your summer's been a lot like mine. Too many injuries and too much sickness. :( I pray we've all been granted a reprieve now.
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