And The Winner Is Beets

Total Time: 1 hr 15 mins Preparation Time: 15 mins Cook Time: 1 hr

Ingredients

• 6 1/2 lbs small even-sized beets
• 2 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 2 1/2 cups vinegar
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1 cup reserved cooking broth
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 4 teaspoons whole mixed pickling spices
• 1 1/2 teaspoons crushed whole dried chilies

Recipe

• 1 scrub beets, leaving root end& about 1/2 inch of the stem. rinse in clean water several times to make sure that all garden dirt has been removed.
• 2 in a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook beets just until tender (about 20 minutes).
• 3 drain, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid.
• 4 refresh beets under cold water, slip off skins& snip off any root end remains.
• 5 slice beets& set aside.
• 6 meanwhile, in a very large stainless steel or enamel pot, stir together sugar, vinegar, water, reserved cooking liquid& salt.
• 7 tie pickling spice& chilies in a double thickness of cheesecloth& add to pan.
• 8 heat almost to boiling, stirring often until sugar is dissolved.
• 9 add beets, return to boil& boil for 5 minutes, stirring often to distribute the spice flavour.
• 10 remove spice bag.
• 11 pack beets into sterilized canning jars to within 3/4 inch of rim.
• 12 pour in boiling pickling liquid, leaving 1/2 inch of headspace.
• 13 insert a chop stick or long narrow plastic spatula along the sides of the jars to release any air bubbles; add more liquid, if necessary, to re-establish the head space.
• 14 seal with prepared lids& transfer to a boiling water bath.
• 15 pour in enough hot water to come 2 inches above the jars.
• 16 cover, bring to a boil& boil for 30 minutes.
• 17 transfer to a rack to cool.
• 18 check seals, wipe jars, label& store in a cool, dry place.