In 2017 I posted here the recipe for Treva's Pickled Beets. I received it from my mother-in-law who received it from her mother-in-law. Treva is 90 years old now (2024) and together, we made this recipe with beets from our garden yesterday. This simple recipe uses only sugar, vinegar, salt, and pepper. With its high vinegar content, I am certain it meets the USDA guidelines for canning.
However, I like pickled beets seasoned with cloves and prefer to use a recipe I call " Stella's Pickled Beets". Both recipes are available here as well as one for pickling spice. The back story to Stella's recipe is at the end of this post.
Treva's Pickled Beets
Wash young beets and cook until tender. Peel and cut into the desired size. Small beets can be left whole. Heat one quart of vinegar, two cups of sugar, and one teaspoon of salt to make a sweet brine. You can also add black pepper to taste. Put beets in syrup and allow them to come to a boil. Then, pack beets in sterilized, glass, canning jars. Cover beets with syrup leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Wipe the rims of the jars to make sure they are clean. Place lids and rings on the jar, screw down finger tight, and process for 10 minutes in a hot water bath canner.
I have found 2 quarts of vinegar mixture from this recipe and about 1/2 bushel of beets (with tops removed) makes 7 quarts.
From the University of Georgia National Center for Food Preservation:
"An average of 21 pounds (without tops) is needed per canner load of 7 quarts; an average of 13-1/2 pounds is needed per canner load of 9 pints. A bushel (without tops) weighs 52 pounds and yields 15 to 20 quarts--an average of 3 pounds per quart."
Instructions for water bath canning can be found at this link.
Instructions for water bath canning can be found at this link.
Stella's Pickled Beets
Use young, tender beets with tops, and approximately 1/2 bushel. Cut off the greens, leaving 2 inches on the beet. (This keeps the beets from bleeding out all their color while cooking and leaves a beautiful finished product.) Wash thoroughly. Boil the clean beets until the skin becomes soft and will rub off easily. Peel and quarter the beets (or leave them whole for smaller beets).
Mix the following:
8 Cups Water
5 Cups Vinegar
4.5 Cups Sugar
1/2 teaspoon of salt
2 Tablespoons of pickling spice tied in a cheesecloth (or similar cloth like flour sack or t-shirt material) and dropped into the vinegar/water/sugar mixture
Add beets to the mixture and bring to a boil. Simmer for 15-20 minutes. Discard the bag of pickling spices. Put beets into clean, sterilized pint canning jars and cover with vinegar mixture. Wipe the rims of jars and apply lids and rings. Tighten rings on jars to just finger tight, cover with hot water, and bring water to a rolling boil. Allow jars to process in a water bath canner for 10 minutes.
Note: Stella's Pickled Beets most likely doesn't meet USDA guidelines due to the lower vinegar content.
Recipe for Homemade Pickling Spice
2 Tablespoons Whole Mustard Seed
1 Tablespoon Whole Allspice
2 teaspoons of Coriander Seeds
2 crushed Bay Leaves
2 Cinnamon Sticks broken in half
2-6 whole cloves
2 Tablespoons Black Peppercorns
Store pickling spice in an airtight container.
Back Story of Stella's Pickled Beets:
Carolyn asked for my assistance in preserving the beets from her garden due to her failing health. She wanted me to use Stella's recipe for the pickled beets. I lovingly prepared the beets per Carolyn's instructions knowing the pickles had a greater significance.
Carolyn told me about Stella who had a vision of Carolyn's future husband more than 30 years before they were married. When Carolyn saw him for the first time, she knew he was the man for her based on Stella's descriptions. Carolyn and Rocky spent many happy years together as husband and wife. Sometimes being gifted is described as divine intuition, divination, or granny magic. Southern Appalachian tradition says that children born in the cull, or with the placenta intact as Stella had been, receive the gift.
I understand now that my making beets for Carolyn using Stella's recipe helped her connect to someone who was an important part of her life at a time when she could no longer make the beets or even eat them.
Now I make the beets and remember.