Pickle Beets

Apologize for being absent for too long, sometimes, what happening day to day in our life can really get in a way, and leave no time for thing like blogging :). No, nothing bad happening with me, I am still healthy though a bit chubbier since I ate quite a bit since my mum and sister were here.  Now that they are all left, I think I can manage to start posting a recipe or two in my blog.

Early spring last year, I harvested quite a bit of beet roots from my vegetable garden. I only pulled them out as much as I needed, so I had just enough to cook for that day. I thought about pickling them, but the process of making it seems a little bit intimidating.

In search of an easier recipe (and less intimidating process), I settled on a recipe I found in  this book. The book is not about pickling at all, but it has a few recipes for pickles, including pickle beets, and pickle eggs which I have been meaning of making it for quite sometimes. But, in order to make pickle eggs, first, I have to make pickle beets. It is why I post this pickle beets today. Anyway, the recipe for both pickles are quite easy to follow. Please come back next week, if you would like to see the recipe for pickle eggs.

Pickle Beets
Recipe adapted from Mile's Ends

For vegetable pickling brine:
3/4 cup + 2 tbs Diamond Crystal kosher salt*
10 tablespoons sugar
3 cups + 4 cups water
3 cups cider vinegar*
3¾ cups distilled white vinegar

For pickle beets:

2 pounds red beets, peeled and quarter
2 teaspoons whole all spice berries
2 fresh bay leaves
6 sprigs thymes
2 teaspoon black peppercorns

In a large non reactive pot, combine salt, sugar and 3 cups of water. Set the pot over medium heat, stir from time to time until sugar and salt are completely disolved and the liquid is clear. Stir in the rest of ingredients, remove from the heat, and let it cool completely.

Arrange beets in a non reactive pan, add whole spice berries, bay leaves, thymes, and black peppercorns. Pour pickling brine just enough to cover the ingredients. Bring to simmer until the beets are tender, about 30 to 45 minutes. Remove from the heat, cool completely. Once cooled, pack the pickle into sterile jar, cover, refrigerate overnight before using. This pickle can be store in the refrigerator up to six months.

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