Quick, No-Can Pickled Beets

My man loves pickled beets and whenever I have beets around, this is what I do with them because I don’t have a canner. You can also use store-bought regular canned beets for this recipe, which makes it much easier.

Beets (approx. dozen small-medium beets) OR 1 quart canned beets
Vinegar (1 cup)
Sugar (3/4 cup)
Salt (1/2 tsp)
Mustard Seed (2 tsp)
Celery Seed (1/2 tsp)
Cinnamon (1 tsp–to taste)
Cloves (1/8 tsp)

Peel and slice or quarter beets. This definitely where most of the effort comes in, hence the canned beets instead. Cook the beets in boiling water, which can take quite a while–over an hour, depending on how chunky your slices or quarters are. It’s extremely important that the beets are fully cooked, because no further cooking will happen to them after this process… and you don’t want crunchy pickled beets. When the beets are done, DO NOT REMOVE THEM FROM THE WATER. You want to keep enough of their cooking water so that they are mostly covered. This liquid will contribute to their “pickling” juice. If you’re using canned beets, likewise, keep all the beet juice they were canned in and add the entire cans to a pot and heat up the mixture.

Add vinegar, sugar, salt, mustard seed, celery seed, cinnamon and cloves to the beets and their juice. Cook until the sugar is dissolved. All done. Store in glass containers (or something that won’t stain–I use old pickle jars) and refrigerate for at least 24 hours for flavours to blend. Store in fridge for no more than a few weeks… these aren’t real pickles, after all, so enjoy quickly!

Refrigerator Pickles

Sugar (4 cups)
White Vinegar (2 cups)
Salt (2 tbsps)
Turmeric (1 tsp)
Celery Seed (1 tsp)
Mustard Seed (1 tsp)
Yellow Onion, large, sliced or diced (if you want relish)
10 Small Cucumbers, 4 Medium Cucumbers, or 3 English Cucumbers, peeled and thinly sliced (approx.–add as much cucumber and onion as liquid permits)
Optional:
Red Pepper, sliced

Measure first six ingredients into large pot and heat to dissolve sugar. Move liquid to large container that will be used to store pickles in refrigerator (glass pickle jar, large tupperware–at least 1 liter sized). Add cucumbers, onions, (and peppers) to fill up to the level of liquid. Let stand for 2 hours; after it shrinks down, add more cucumber slices. Cover and store in refrigerator for up to six months (mine last for a year).

Inspired by: Company’s Coming Canning Recipes