My Mom was an industrious homemaker, she grew a large organic garden every year and then lovingly preserved the fresh picked produce. Here’s Mom’s pickled beet recipe, I found it written on a tattered, yellowed scrap of paper, tucked away safely in my recipe box. I’ve expanded on the details as the recipe only had the pickling solution.

You’ll need:
10 1bs beets, cooked
7 quart or 14 pint canning jars with lids and rings
Canner with rack, or large pressure canner
Pickling solution, recipe below.

First, cook and peel beets. If you don’t know how read: How to cook beets. While the beets are cooking, wash and sterilize your canning jars and lids. Fill jars up to one half inch from the top with prepared beets, small ones can be left whole, large beets should be sliced. Prepare pickling solution. 

Ingredients:
3 pints (6 cups) white vinegar, with 5 percent acidity
2 cups water
2 1/2 cups sugar
1 tablespoon Watkins pickling spices

Directions: Place above ingredients in a large saucepan, bring to a boil and simmer 5 minutes. Pour hot solution over beets in jars. Wipe jar tops, apply lids and screw bands. Place jars in/on rack in caner and process in boiling water bath for 30 minutes or longer (see below). Make sure water covers jars by an inch or so. Allow jars to cool in water for a few minutes. Using jar tongs or oven mitts remove jars from hot water, place on folded, dry towel to cool completely. Stand back and admire your beautiful jars of pickled beets!

Processing time varies by your communities altitude but is the same for quart or pint jars; process for 30 minutes at sea level to 1,000 feet, for 35 minutes at 1,001 to 3,000 feet, for 40 minutes at 3,001 to 6,000 feet or 45 minutes if you live above 6,000 feet.