Pickled & Canned Beets

Prepare canner and fill with enough water to boil 4-pint jars. Boil jars for 10 minutes prior to filling.

Trim the ends off of beets and scrub off any dirt.

In a stainless steel 5-quart pot, boil beets till they just start to soften. then remove them and place them into an ice water bath until they are cool enough to touch.

Once the beets are cool enough to touch rub the outer skins off with your hands. I wear gloves for this part. They should come off relatively easy.

Rinse and slice beets.

In the same stainless steel nonreactive pot, wash and rinse it. Add 4 cups of white vinegar, 2 teaspoons mustard seed, 2 teaspoons whole dill seed, 1/4 teaspoon celery seed, 1 1/4 cups of sugar, 2 bay leaves and 1 teaspoon of salt. Bring to a boil. Put sliced beets into the hot liquid as they need to be hot when canning them. Discard bay leaves just before canning.

Put the beets into the hot jars then ladle the hot liquid in leaving1 inch head space. Remove any air bubbles.

Wipe the rims of the jars so they are free of any debris that might prevent them from sealing. Place lids and rings on and fingertip tighten.

Carefully lower jars into boiling water bath canner. Allow 1-2 inches of water to cover your jars. Put canner lid on.

Begin timing, maintaining a boil for 30 minutes canning time plus altitude adjustment. When time is up turn off heat and remove lid and let cool for 5 minutes before removing jars. Remove jars set upright on a towel on the counter to protect hot jars. leave jars undisturbed for 12-24 hours. Bands should not be retightened as it might interfere with sealing. Remove rings, check for proper seal and clean jars. Label jars with the contents and canning date. They can be stored for up to a year. If any jars didn't seal, refrigerate them.