Nothing beats a bit of beetroot – if you get me. This is such a bright and cheery summer veggie I always want to preserve some for those dull wintry days. If you’re experiencing beetroot overload at the moment why not pickle your own? It is a million times better than the bought stuff and very simple to prepare.
Homemade Pickled Beetroot
For every 1 kilo of raw, fresh beets you’ll need 600ml of brine (made with 50g salt and 600 ml of water) plus 600ml of malt or red wine vinegar.
Wash but do not peel the beets. Place in a large pan and cover with the brine.- Simmer until tender. This could take from 10 minutes for fresh baby fruits to an hour or more for larger or older ones. Test by squeezing with your fingers, they should ‘give’ a little.
- Drain and peel the cooked beets.
- Slice, cube or leave whole (if small) as you prefer.
- Pack into sterilised jars and cover with cold vinegar.
- Leave for one month to mature before using.
The finished product will keep for at least six months. You can add spices to the mix or even some sugar to sweeten things up – though we find beetroot is plenty sweet enough already.
For a more self sufficient future
Hallo! Thanks so much for visiting *my* blog, and what a delight it is to discover yours!
My gardening father fed us a few too many beets when growing up so I’ve abstained ’til now — but these look good. I’ve also read that beets make a wonderful (and chemical free) food coloring for cake frosting (you’d say “icing” in UK!) and such. Are they easy to grow, too?
While I can hardly compete with living on a Spanish mountain and completely off-grid besides (!!!) we do heat entirely with wood (an oddity for sure in this ordinary US suburb) and make LOTS of dirt every year with our compost piles (plural!)
Almostgotit’s last blog post..Silverfinger
Welcome! Sorry to hear you overdosed on beetroot as a kid – my mum force fed us soya mince and now I can’t even sniff the stuff!
So you simmer your beetroot? I’ve just finished my first ever batch, but baked mine. What is the best way, in your opinion? Are there any benefits to simmering over baking? Does it affect the flavour?
You can see my blog post here: http://johnathanbranson.wordpress.com/2009/06/20/pickling-beetroot/
J, I guess whichever way you prefer! I enjoy baked beetroot but find simmering much quicker so energy saving too.