When I was growing up, my dad had a very nice garden in our backyard. He also helped my Mam-ma and Pap-pa with their garden at the house where he had grown up, about a mile and a half from our house. They had a much bigger space and it seems like between the two growing spaces, we had every vegetable you could want: beans, okra, asparagus, squash, corn, zucchini, tomatoes, melon, and so on and so on. Every year, some of these would be put up and we would vegetable to eat during the winter. And my favorite of the pickly variety? The beets.
I'm not sure if it was childhood memory or not, but pickled beets from the store just cannot compare to the thoughts in my head about the ones my dad would make. But, he hasn't put up any beets in who knows how long, so the flavor in my head has remained a mystery and a memory. Until this year.
I guess my brother and I were persistent enough in lamenting the state of pickled beets in US supermarkets because this year, Sam (dad) put in a little patch of beets in his garden. As it so happened, when I was in Tulsa in August I got to assist in the beet pickling process. And now I understand why he doesn't do it anymore! Time consuming and tiring.
Sam says that he would pickle beets every other year because it was such a long process. And his trick was/is to pull all of the beets at once and just get the thing done, not doing a small batch here and there. He also told me he would make special jars for his grandmother (and very good grandson, this one) with little, baby beets all stacked perfectly in the jar and she would give him perhaps the highest compliment from an Oklahoma farm girl, "those are pretty enough to go to the county fair." Or something to that affect.
So, here is a photographic how-to on pickling beets. I'd be happy to share the recipe with you on one condition: if you pickle beets, I get a jar. A large jar!
The first step is pulling all of beets. Dad was out and in the garden before I could even finish my coffee, so I didn't pull any beets. But, we ended up with a wheelbarrow overflowing with a giant mound of beets.
Then, all of the greens have to be trimmed (compost pile) and the root end trimmed as well. The giant wheelbarrow was transformed to two little buckets.
After they are trimmed, the beets are boiled. This cooks them and also makes it possible to remove their skins. As you can see, we did all of this outside because it is incredibly messy. Otherwise, my mother would have a blood red kitchen! After they were cooked, we tossed the hot beets into a cooler filled with ice and water. Then began to peel and trim, peel and trim, peel and trim. It took forever! I don't have a photograph of that part of process because my hands were covered in plastic gloves covered in beet juice.
After they are all trimmed, the beets are sorted to size, with the larger ones cut down. A delicious brine made with sugar, spices and vinegar is poured over them.
After that, they are sealed and are processed in a hot water bath.
From a giant wheelbarrow of beets to seven quarts. Yes folks, that is what you get from a wheelbarrow full of beets and six hours of hard labor! Seven jars of dark red deliciousness. I got to keep three of the jars which had to sit for a while before they could be opened. Finally, after all of that work and all of the waiting (years of waiting!) I opened a jar of beets and served them to friends at dinner the other night. Are they better than store bought? You betcha. More spice, less sugar and all about the beets. When I finish the jar, I'm going to make pink pickled eggs! Just wait.
I'm not sure if it was childhood memory or not, but pickled beets from the store just cannot compare to the thoughts in my head about the ones my dad would make. But, he hasn't put up any beets in who knows how long, so the flavor in my head has remained a mystery and a memory. Until this year.
I guess my brother and I were persistent enough in lamenting the state of pickled beets in US supermarkets because this year, Sam (dad) put in a little patch of beets in his garden. As it so happened, when I was in Tulsa in August I got to assist in the beet pickling process. And now I understand why he doesn't do it anymore! Time consuming and tiring.
Sam says that he would pickle beets every other year because it was such a long process. And his trick was/is to pull all of the beets at once and just get the thing done, not doing a small batch here and there. He also told me he would make special jars for his grandmother (and very good grandson, this one) with little, baby beets all stacked perfectly in the jar and she would give him perhaps the highest compliment from an Oklahoma farm girl, "those are pretty enough to go to the county fair." Or something to that affect.
So, here is a photographic how-to on pickling beets. I'd be happy to share the recipe with you on one condition: if you pickle beets, I get a jar. A large jar!
The first step is pulling all of beets. Dad was out and in the garden before I could even finish my coffee, so I didn't pull any beets. But, we ended up with a wheelbarrow overflowing with a giant mound of beets.Then, all of the greens have to be trimmed (compost pile) and the root end trimmed as well. The giant wheelbarrow was transformed to two little buckets.After they are trimmed, the beets are boiled. This cooks them and also makes it possible to remove their skins. As you can see, we did all of this outside because it is incredibly messy. Otherwise, my mother would have a blood red kitchen! After they were cooked, we tossed the hot beets into a cooler filled with ice and water. Then began to peel and trim, peel and trim, peel and trim. It took forever! I don't have a photograph of that part of process because my hands were covered in plastic gloves covered in beet juice.After they are all trimmed, the beets are sorted to size, with the larger ones cut down. A delicious brine made with sugar, spices and vinegar is poured over them.After that, they are sealed and are processed in a hot water bath.From a giant wheelbarrow of beets to seven quarts. Yes folks, that is what you get from a wheelbarrow full of beets and six hours of hard labor! Seven jars of dark red deliciousness. I got to keep three of the jars which had to sit for a while before they could be opened. Finally, after all of that work and all of the waiting (years of waiting!) I opened a jar of beets and served them to friends at dinner the other night. Are they better than store bought? You betcha. More spice, less sugar and all about the beets. When I finish the jar, I'm going to make pink pickled eggs! Just wait.