In pickling it is the water to vinegar ratio that is vital. Could you post the whole recipe please? Thanks.

Dave

It doesn't have any water in it, only the sugar-vinegar solution. I have never come across anything similar but it is very good and sweet.

Normally what we do is take store bought canned beets and drain them. Heat the vinegar and add the sugar and stir until dissolved. Put the beets in a quart jar and pour the sugar/vinegar over it and then put the lid on and put in the fridge and eat like that with no processing.

I was wondering if I started with fresh beets and followed all of the ball instructions on how to prepare the beets and the processing time, etc but only use the proportions for the sugar/vinegar mix if it would be ok to can or if it would not be safe. The one in my ball complete book of home preserving uses something similar but much less sugar and adds water. The proportions for theirs is:

2 1/2 cups vinegar
1 cup water
1 cup sugar
10 cups prepared beets

My version would be like this:

10 cups prepared beets
2 parts sugar + 1 part vinegar to equal enough liquid for the batch.

We prefer the sweeter version and I would love to make some from my homegrown beets this fall if I could. But only if it is safe! :)

Carly

If you're using 100% vinegar instead of vinegar+water and increasing sugar, you could do those things with the Ball recipe and not have a problem. It's just more expensive, but anytime you go from a vinegar-water ratio to all-vinegar in a tested recipe, you're not going to have an unsafe product. Increasing the sugar should also be fine.

It's akin to some of the cured sweet pickle recipes that've been posted. Very sweet, very tangy syrup.

Carol

Thanks Carol! I can't tell you how thrilled I am to hear that! We love the sweet and tangy flavor!

Thanks Dave also for responding!

Carly

I made pickled beets with a sweet mixed pickle mix from Mrs. Wages or Ball. No water added and any beets smaller than gold balls were pickled whole. Any bigger ones were sliced and had some onions sliced in as well. I did precook the beets a bit so they could be sliced and easier to peel.

I made the recipe out of the ball book and my only problem was the amount of brine. I was able to fill all of the jars with the beets suggested but didn't have nearly enough brine. I only had enough brine to fill 2 and a half pint jars. I then had to hurry and whip up another batch of brine to finish them off.

Make a note of that for next time. I always find there are things I've forgotten by next canning season.

I can't tell you how many times I've made pickles and either had too much syrup or too little. I almost never have JUST the right amount. (The canning equivalent of Goldilocks, LOL).

Carol

ksrogers: oh, that suggestion about the onions sounds wonderful! Do you think it would be safe to add some? or would I just need to use dried onion for the flavor? The onions with the sweet and tangy flavor sound delicious though!

gmreeves and readinglady: Thanks for the reminder about the amount of syrup! I canned fruit last year and the year before and I never managed to get the right amount of syrup! LOL! I ALWAYS either had too much or too little! Maybe I can get it closer with the beets!!

Carly

I simply sliced the whole onions (about an 1/8 to 3/16 inch thick) as if they were slices of beets. I would pack the jars with 2-3 beet slices and a slice or onion, then 2-3 more beets and so forth. I use a regular supermarket onion, like a Copra, which I also grow. A sweet onion would be OK, but because they are a much milder would probably get lost in flavor while in the pickle juice. I used Splenda the last time I made them, and used only a very small amount. For some reason 4 cups of sugar with a vinegar brine equates to about 1/2 cup of Splenda for the same sweetness. I don't add water to my pickle brines, but prefer straight vinegar. For the beets, I also used some cider vinegar with the white.

You have given me some wonderful sounding variations to try! I will have to plant a huge plot of beets! LOL! I would definitely use the stronger onion rather than the sweet that way you would get a stronger flavor! If only my onions had made it this year! :( The cider vinegar is a nice idea too. What proportions did you use for the cider to the white?

Carly

With 100% vinegar in the syrup (as opposed to one diluted with water) I see no problem with using some onions in the mix. (Someone else may disagree but generally low-acid veggies are fine pickled in 100% vinegar.)

I'm getting ready to can some pickled beets. I might give a half batch of these a shot. They do sound good. (I'd try more but DH is very "conservative" when it comes to changes in beloved pickling recipes.)

Carol

I use the sweet pickle mixes from Mrs. Wages and Ball. As to the vinegar preferences, you can decide by taste as to how much cider vinegar to white to use. Some people don't like the taste of vinegar, so an all cider type being sweetened and with spices will help mask it quite a lot. A 1/3 cider vinegar to 2/3 white is OK too. As mentioned, I would never add water to this kind of brine. I do know that even if I partially cook the whole beets just to peel and slice them, they are quite firm once in pickled jars, and remain so for a long time afterwards, more than a year!

My favorite beet type is Detroit. I pick the smaller ones that are cramped between other larger ones first. This gives the rest a bit more growing space. I also like making cold beet soup (borsche). My Polish grandmother used to make it all summer and with that, and my grandfathers bakery next to the house, and is sour rye bread, you get a really great meal. The beets and greens are cooked seperate, as the greens cook quite fast. I chop the greens leaves into 1/4 to 1/2 inch wide strips. The beets are cooked through until tender. I leave about a half inch of the stems on them as well as a half inch of the root when they are being cooked. This helps to reduce some 'bleeding' of the beet color. Once cooked, I allow them to cool and peel. The beets and greens need LOTS of water to wash away any sand/soil. Once the greens are cooked, I spoon them out with a slotted spoon and toss out all of their cooking water. Usually there is a trace of sand at the bottom. Same with the cooked beets. Toss their cooking water. For a broth, I use beef stock either canned or fresh made. Slice the beets and cut into julienne strips. Add them to the broth with the cooked greens and some cut up pickling cukes, fresh chopped dill weed, and either cut up onions or scallions. I also add a couple of tablespoons of cider or white vinegar. Served with, or without sour cream.

All these are memories now as I can't enjoy beets much anymore due to kidney issues.

Carly: I make my pickled beets similiar to yours, but I also add 2 cinnamon sticks and 4 or five whole cloves to each pint jar for additional flavor. I've boiled them with the brine and picked out and added to the jars, and some years I've just set them in the jars and added the hot beets and brine.

Sweet pickled beets

3lb. beets
2 cups vinegar
1 cup water
½ cup sugar
1 tsp. whole allspice
6 whole cloves
1 cinnamon stick, broken
Cheesecloth

Wash beets, leaving on roots and 1" of top. Place in a 4-6 qt. pot; add enough water to cover. Bring to boiling, reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, until tender, about 25 minutes. Drain and discard liquid. Cool beets slightly, trim off root and top, slip off skins. Using crinkle cutter, slice beets approximately 1/8" thick or leave whole.

In same large pot, combine vinegar, water and sugar. Place allspice, cloves and cinnamon in the center of a 7" square of cheesecloth-tie into a bag and place in pot to infuse spices into liquid. Heat to boiling, add beets, reduce heat and simmer, uncovered for 5 minutes.

Spoon beets into clean, hot half pint or pint jars, leaving ½" headspace. Pack slightly, remove air bubbles and add enough additional liquid to cover beets and make ½" headspace. Discard spice bag.

Wipe jar rims and adjust lids, place band on jar to finger tight. Process in boiling water canner for 30 minutes. Remove jars from canner; cool on racks.

Like ksrogers, I like the Detroit Dark Red beets and I make pickled beets every year. I like the sweet and spicy recipe and it calls for onions. I think I like the onions as well as I like the beets.

Since mine is an approved recipe from Michigan State University and calls for onions, I don't see any problem with adding onions to your all vinegar brine.

PICKLED BEETS

7 lbs of 2- to 2-1/2 inch diameter beets
4 cups vinegar (5%)
1-1/2 teaspoons canning or pickling salt
2 cups sugar
2 cups water
2 cinnamon sticks
12 whole cloves
4 to 6 onions (2- to 2-1/2 inch diameter), if desired

YIELD: About 8 pints

PROCEDURE: Trim off beet tops, leaving 1 inch of stem
and roots to prevent bleeding of color. Wash thoroughly.
Sort for size. Cover similar sizes together with boiling
water and cook until tender (about 25 to 30 minutes).
CAUTION: Drain and discard liquid. Cool beets. Trim
off roots and stems and slip off skins. Slice into 1/4-
inch slices. Peel and thinly slice onions. Combine
vinegar, salt, sugar, and fresh water. Put spices in
cheesecloth bag and add to vinegar mixture. Bring to a
boil. Add beets and onions. Simmer 5 minutes. Remove
spice bag. Fill jars with beets and onions, leaving 1/2-
inch headspace. Add hot vinegar solution, allowing 1/2-
inch headspace. Adjust lids and process.

Process pints for 30 minutes in a boiling water bath. Adjust time for altitude.

Variation: Pickled whole baby beets. Follow above
directions but use beets that are 1- to 1-1/2 inches in
diameter. Pack whole; do not slice. Onions may be
omitted.

Beets do have a much longer processing time than other pickles that I make, so be sure you check your timing.

Annie

Mrs. Wages now offers a pickled beet mix, as well as a dilly bean pickle mix.