Pickled Beets

July 15, 2009 · 20 comments ·

Pickled Beets

In the garden, the beets are beginning to look like they’re ready to eat. If I have a large crop, I’ll want to pickle some of them.

There are three steps required for good pickled beets, and all three take some time. First you need to make a good picking vinegar, then the beets need to be roasted, and finally you’ll preserve the beets in the vinegar and wait at least a month.

Pickling Vinegar MisePickling Vinegar

1 tablespoon whole cloves
1 tablespoon whole allspice berries
1 tablespoon pink peppercorns
1½ teaspoons white peppercorns
2 mace blades
2 cinnamon sticks
5 cups white wine vinegar

Bring to a boil, then cool slightly and pour into a glass container. Store in a cool, dark place for 2 weeks. Strain.

Now that your vinegar is ready, roast the beets. I suggest wrapping them in foil and roasting them slowly to release as much sugar as possible. As soon as the beets are cool enough to handle, peel them. Then slice, dice, quarter, or leave baby beets whole.

Put the beets into one or more sterilized jars, leaving plenty of room for the vinegar to cover them. If you wish, put some of the whole spices from the vinegar recipe into the jars as well. For spicy beets, add chiles to taste. Chipotles work nicely if you want a smoky heat.

Bring the strained vinegar to a boil and carefully pour it into the jars to cover the beets. Seal the jars and store in a cool, dry place for at least a month, or up to two months for best flavor.

If you don’t have time to make pickling vinegar, distribute the spices from the recipe evenly between the jars and add boiling vinegar. The flavors won’t have as much time to develop, but the pickle will still be okay.

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  • http://www.therookiechef.com Molly Jean

    Those beets look beautiful!

  • Gareth Mark

    Thanks! They taste much better than any store-bought pickled beets I’ve ever had, and are really quite easy.

  • http://sowhatareyoumakingfordinner.blogspot.com/ Lucia

    Great recipe. Just saw beets at the farmers market and was not sure what to do with them. And congrats on being a featured foodie on the food buzz newsletter!

  • Gareth Mark

    Thanks! There are two other beet suggestions in my post, Beets Two Ways. And raw beets are great shredded as part of a salad, or juiced with carrots, apples, and pineapple.

  • http://thegypsychef.blogspot.com/ The Gypsy Chef

    I was just talking about pickling onions and wow ther you are w/ beautiful pickled beets. Looks easy, my beets are starting to ripen I think I’ll try this! Thanks. Nice blog. Pam

  • Gareth Mark

    Thanks! Please let me know when you post your pickled onions.

  • Carrie

    Ooooh these look amazing. I have a deep and abiding love for pickled beets – I’ll eat them straight out the jar as a snack. This one I’m definitely going to have to try. I’ve never seen mace blades in the grocery store – going to have to search those out somehow.

  • Gareth Mark

    I use Mustapha’s Mace, which I found locally in a specialty foods store, In Good Taste.

  • http://www.sippitysup.com SippitySup

    Beets are so maligned by too many people. I am happy to see them celebrated so wonderfully here! GREG

  • Gareth Mark

    Thank you! I really enjoy beets and beet greens. The whole plant is a wonderful food.

  • http://irawvegan.blogspot.com/ iRaw

    I love this photo! Beets rule…although I’m the only one around the house that thinks so.

  • Gareth Mark

    Thanks! You’ll have to work on those people who don’t recognize just how good beets are. They may be the bacon of the vegetable kingdom!

  • Mélanger

    One of my favourite things. A regular feature on the Australian hamburger, too. I love beetroot in salad and roasted. I have never pickled it myself before. Looks great!

  • Gareth Mark

    Thanks! I’ve never thought of beetroot on a burger. Bet the pickled beets would be outstanding on a hamburger with a good blue cheese.

  • http://www.todaysrecipepro.com/ Barbara

    Do you have a wonderful recipe for pickled egg? My son has been bugging me to make him some.

    Thanks

  • Gareth Mark

    Sorry, I don’t have a recipe for pickled eggs. Maybe someone else here has a good one.

  • http://berlinswhimsy.typepad.com Amber

    Wow, I love pickled beets and these sound wonderful—-I have a bunch of beets growing in the garden, too….

  • Gareth Mark

    Thanks! If you try this version or something similar, please let us know how they turn out.

  • http://www.edibleusable.com Kim (Edible/Usable)

    I thought I’d share my version of Pickled Beets, because they are quite different than yours. We can always use more pickled beets!

    http://www.edibleusable.com/2009/08/pickled-beets.html

  • Gareth Mark

    Your recipe should produce a milder flavor than the one I used. It sounds delicious!