Sweet & Sour Honey Pickled Beets

Today I am making pickled beets - with some old larger jars that I had on hand but had not used as they are nearly too large for my canning pot. But, they do mostly fit, so I have been giving it a go to see if I can get these to turn out.

By the way, my jam I made yesterday in the flip top jars, failed to seal in 2 of the jars. Now I know what I don't like about these jars! Because there is no lid that 'pops' when it seals, you do not know if the seal has taken until the next day when you can undo the clamp and see if the lid opens.

I can re-process them again in boiling water or leave them in the fridge and we'll have to eat them sooner. Before I started to become negative about it, I stopped to remind myself that my first try with the other type of jars did the same thing, so perhaps this is all part of the learning curve.

Even as I write this, there is another jar of sweet & sour honey pickled beets in the canner. The entire process of making pickles is far more involved and messy - but again it is something that would only be done a couple of times a year and we would get to enjoy more yummy foods made at home.

1 litre jars for the beets

For the beets I read and read what other people have done and finally decided on a few ingredients that I would enjoy with the beets. These are very sweet vegetables, so I was amazed at the amount of sugar people were putting in with their pickling juice. 

Boiling water bath with the larger pot and jar

Of course, no sugar here, so to keep it from being overly sour I added a little bit of honey, cinnamon, cloves and the vinegar. It certainly smelled lovely, but it takes a couple of weeks to cure before it should be tasted. 

Chopped cooked beets ready to go into jars - hot

As I am fasting for the next week, that is not a problem, but once again I am looking forward to tasting these foods that I am making. Oh and by the way, the jars with the beets sealed right up (popped) a few minutes after coming out of the boiling water bath, music to my ears! LOL

Off to go figure out a recipe for these gherkins....

April

1 litre jar of pickled beets