I love growing beetroot.
Not only is it simple to grow from seed, but it has so many different uses in the kitchen. The tops are a perfect addition to any green salad greens & the pickled roots (beets) being a favourite of our family (well except Dave who doesn't care for it in any form). I love the fact that there is very little that can't be used & of course what is left over goes straight to the chickens!
What a blessing to be able to grow this for our family!!
This year I grew a heirloom seed mix & I know that I mentioned previously that I didn't like the seed mixes. I'm going to take that back & say that I love the beetroot mix, but I still don't like them for the other plants. That is because beetroot, no matter what kind, can be use in the same way & grows at the same rate. It is so much fun watching the rainbow of colours fill the bottles ~ it just looks so pretty!! The anticipation of cutting into the bulb to see the pattern & colour inside makes cooking them a delight! So I'm going to reorder the heirloom mix again this year and not voice my opinion quite so quickly in the future :).
This recipe is a taste of my childhood. Many times visiting my Granny (who is not only my Granny, but also my friend) did we partake of this beetroot recipe & each time I found it especially delicious. It is so nice that it can even take the place of meat in a salad roll (not that I can eat rolls anymore ~ sigh)! I will add that I prefer to use apple cider vinegar in it, although I have used white vinegar ( as I did this time), but it makes it more sour (next time I need to remember to add a little more sugar if I'm out of the acv).
INGREDIENTS:
Bunch of fresh beetroot (with green tops on); salt; 1 cup apple cider vinegar (see note above); 2 tbs sugar; 1/3 cup water;
METHOD:
1. Cut off tops approx 2 cm from beetroot bulb leaving the rest on for the cooking process. Clean bulb as much as possible to remove soil.
2. Put the beetroot bulbs into salted water & boil until tender.
3. Drain, cool, peel & slice into sterile jars.
4. Into a saucepan put the vinegar, sugar & water. Bring to the boil. Pour over the beetroot leaving a small space at top of the jar. (Depending on how much beetroot you are processing, you may wish to double or even triple this amount).
5. Screw on lid & allow to sit for a few days while it continues to pickle.
(NB ~ I do not process my beetroot in a canner. It is for you to decide if you are happy with that ~ please refer to regulations in your own country for food safety).
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Blessings