Ingredients
- 3 1/2 pounds of cooked and peeled beets (approximately 5lbs of raw beets)
- 1/2 pound of onions (3 medium onions – sliced course)
Spice Bag
- 6 whole colves
- 1 3 inch cmmamon stick
- 2 tablespoons of pickling spice
Liquid
- 1 cup liquid from cooking beets
- 1 cup of dry red wine
- 2 cups of white vinegar (5% acidity)
- 1 1/4 cups of granulated white sugar
- 2 tablespoons of salt
Remove beet tops leaving 1 inch of stem and root. Wash beets; cover with boiling water; and bring back to boil. Cook until tender but NOT soft. Keep a cup of beet juice liquid. Place beets in cold water to help remove the skins; slice beets up to 1/2 inch thick or leave whole for ‘baby’ beets.
Combine beet juice, wine, vinegar, sugar and salt. Add the spice bag to vinegar mixture and cover to heat to boiling point.
Add beet and onion slices and bring heat to a simmer for 5 minutes. Remove spic bag. Continue simmering while quickly packing 1 hot, sterilized jar at a time. Fill to 1/8 inch from top, ensuring the liquid covers the beets. Seal each jar at once.
Makes 4 pints.
Note:
This recipe begs to be doubled. To ensure you have enough liquid to fill all jars as directed keep 2 or three cups of beet juice just in case it is needed.