Sweet and Sour Beets
Usually beets are canned, but I was feeling brave one year and wanted to try my Mother's recipe for Sweet and Sour Beets. I'm still not quite bold enough for canning vegetables without a pressure cooking, even though there's vinegar in this recipe. They turned out great, so now this is another vegetable I put up for the winter. Each year we run out and so each year I end up making more and more. This year I found some really small ones at the Farmer's Market and they are SO tender. From now on I'm going to try to find small ones.
7 pounds beets with tails and stems
1 1/4 cups brown sugar
1 1/4 cups white sugar
3 cups water
4 cups cider vinegar
2-4 inch cinnamon sticks
2 teaspoons pickling salt
In a large pot, cover beets with water and boil until tender, 15 to 35 minutes depending on size of the beets. Drain and put in ice water bath. When cool slip off skin and slice or quarter them..
FOR SYRUP: In non-reactive pot combine sugars, water, vinegar salt and cinnamon sticks. Bring to boil and stir to dissolve sugars. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 10 minutes. Remove cinnamon sticks. Put beets in prepared jars, pour syrup over. Seal and process.
TO FREEZE: Place beets in mason jars or plastic containers. Pour syrup over beets leaving at least 1 to 1 1/2 inches headspace. Freeze..