Canning beets at home is not quick and easy and, for me, this is truly a labour of love.  Home canned beets, plain or pickled are simply The Best, providing of course you like beetroot. It is most satisfying when the jars are all sitting on the kitchen counter ready to be packed away. Frankly, the preparation and pickling of beetroot can be labour intensive and often downright messy but the finished product is far superior to what you buy in a big box store when it comes to taste and nutrition.

Beet Nutrition & Health Benefits

1. Beets are a good source of vitamin C and B, fibre and minerals. US FDA Nutrition data
2. Also a source of Betaine which benefits your cardio health and fights inflammation
3. Beetroot juice may also help reduce high blood pressure
4. An all round physical and mental stamina booster
5. All these benefits from a humble tuber

You will need:

• 20 lb fresh, good quality beetroot – medium size was used for this recipe which allowed about two beets (sliced) per pint jar
• 20 to 24 clean pint jars (and sterilized)

If pickling :

• White vinegar – use one part vinegar to three parts beet juice (after cooking)
• Pickling spice (brand I use has allspice, dill, coriander, ginger, cloves, bay leaf, mustard seed, pepper, cardamom)

Optional:

• Fresh organic garlic
• Salt

Simple Directions:

• Clean well and scrub with a brush if necessary
• Remove green leaf tops and keep for salad, juicing or steaming
• Leave root and top on to prevent “bleeding” during cooking
• Boil beets in large pot for 20 to 30 minutes until the skin comes off easily – keep some of the juice to put in jars
• Put beets into sink of cold water to remove skins, top and root
• Add two or 3 cloves, 1/4 teaspoon pickling spice or a sliced clove of garlic to each jar
• Slice beets and place into jars – fill with hot beetroot juice (or water) from the cooked beets (or three parts beetroot juice to one part white vinegar)
• Leave 3/4 inch space at the top of each jar before adding lids and screw tops
• Place filled jars into pressure canner and process at 10 lbs pressure for 30 minutes. Let pressure drop on its own. Always follow directions and times for your own pressure / canner cooker.

Baked potato with beans, beets & salad

Fruit & beetroot with salad

Beetroot salad with cottage cheese

How you preserve your beets depends on the end use e.g :

1. Eat them straight out of the jar (Plain)
2. They are great addition in a sandwich or burger
3. Add to a salad or a topping in your favourite hamburger (pickled). If pickling add only 1/4 teaspoon (or less) of spice to each pint jar – or even a few cloves
4. If to be used for a soup or for eating I just add a peeled, cut clove of garlic
5. Salt is always optional

Notes:

• Always start of with high quality, organic produce – as a lot of time and energy goes into this labour of love
• Small tubers can be left whole or cut in half for canning
• Always check jars and lids for damage such as cracks, rust and discard
• Sterilize jars and lids before either in a large pot or dishwasher
• Overall time to process 20 lbs of medium-sized beets was four hours resulting in 21 pint jars of plain, garlic and pickled beets
• Pressure canners are heavy when loaded with cans of food; be careful not to tilt and do not immerse in cold water to reduce heat in the canner quickly
•  A few months ago I was surprised to see the high price of home canned beets at the market which adds a financial benefit to putting up your own food

Now the canning is finished for the day and it really went rather well. If you have a pressure canner this is well worth your time. In the middle of our “northern” winter tasty home canned beets are a treat in a salad, soup or sandwich. Happy canning!