I never grown beets in my garden but I’ve always enjoyed them. It’s too late to plant any this summer but I think I’ll try to find some room for them in my garden next summer.

Canning pickled beets:

Choose either small baby beets, which can be pickled whole or use beets no larger than 2 ½ inch in diameter. These will make the best pickled beets.

Beets must be cooked before pickling. Trim the beet top leaving one inch of stem and the root; this will prevent bleeding and maintain a nice bright red beet color. Cook the beets in boiling water until tender. Remember to drain the beets and toss the cooking water. After cooling beets, trim the stems, remove the roots, and slip the skins. Baby beets can be pickled whole; larger beets should be sliced into uniform slices. Visit the National Center for Home Food Preservation for the rest of the recipe.

Since these beets are pickled, they can safely be processed in a boiling water bath canner.

Here is a link to other tested pickled vegetable recipes from the National Center for Home Food Preservation.

Liz Meimann

I received both my undergraduate and graduate degrees in Food Science at Iowa State University. I love to quilt, sew, cook, and bake. I spent many years gardening, canning, and preserving food for my family when my children were at home.

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