Just Beet It. .

It was time for beet harvest last weekend!! I'm not good at knowing which ones should stay in the ground a little longer. .and since I had two small helpers. .ALL the beets came out. You'll notice in the pot, that there are some fairly good sized ones that should have come out weeks ago!! 

I looked through my blog, thinking I had posted my recipe before. .I couldn't find it. .and then I wasn't sure which recipe I had used! 

So. .I'm posting the recipe THIS year. .

so I can find it NEXT year!! 

I have only been growing beets for 3 years. .but they are a quick and easy crop. .needing harvested in the early summer before I'm sick of gardening!! It took a couple hours to harvest, boil, peel and can them. .but there was a lot of down time in between to multi-task!! They are sure pretty after they are cooked up!! I had a big soup pot full of them to simmer! 

Usually when I can beets, I just use the soup pot to can a few jars. .this time I pulled out my water bath canner. .which held all 8 jars! Our family doesn't really like beets fixed any other way. .and you can't BEET them with hamburgers as a side dish. . 

Or straight out of the jar!! 

Happy Monday!!

Beet Pickles

Or. .in Kansas. .

we call 'em. .

Pickled Beets!

3 qts (12 cups) sliced beets (see below) (or about 24 small beets)

2 cups sugar

2 sticks cinnamon

1 tbsp whole allspice

1 1/2 tsp salt

3 1/2 cups vinegar

1 1/2 cups water

Wash beets. .leave root and about 1 inch of the green tops intact. place in a pot of water and boil until they are tender. .anywhere from 20 minutes for the smaller ones to 40 minutes for very large, out of control-sized beets, like mine! The skins will then slip right off and you can slice them about 1/4 inch thick. The smallest beets can be left whole. Combine the rest of ingredients in a large pot. Bring mixture to a boil; reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes or so. Pack beets into hot jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Ladle hot brine over beets, leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Adjust 2-piece caps. Process pints and quarts 30 minutes in a boiling water bath canner. 

My crop was nearly a double recipe. .which yielded 4 quarts and 4 pints. 

Let them set for about a week before eating. .We just finished our last jar from last summer this past weekend. They were as yummy as they were back then!