Beets that will pickle your fancy

With our CSA boxes coming to an end, there is a light at the end of the "beet tunnel".

I made more of the delicious beet soup, and with the remaining beets I decided to try pickling them.

From Food

I used Alton's recipe as a starting point, made some minor changes (when do I ever have all the right ingredients?) and waited a patient 2 weeks before trying them. Verdict? Not bad! Not bad at all! There's still a mild beet taste accompanied with a lovely sweet and tangy pickle.

Here is Alton's full recipe for pickled beets. To roast the beets, I just scrubbed the beets and doused them in olive oil before roasting for about 35 minutes. The actual pickling liquid called for:

* 1 large red onion, frenched
* 1 cup tarragon wine vinegar
* 1 1/2 teaspoons Kosher salt
* 1/2 cup sugar
* 1 cup water

I replaced the red onion with a regular onion, and the tarragon wine vinegar with mostly white vinegar and a big splash of red wine vinegar. I also didn't read the recipe correctly (go figure) and dumped the onions into the pot of boiling pickling liquid. I fished them out with chopsticks. I think I made them better ;)

From Food

When the roasted beets are slightly cooled, remove the skin and slice. If the beet is really big, cut it in half before slicing. Fill your jars with alternating layers of beets and onions. When full, pour in the hot pickling liquid. Tightly lid the jars and wait 3 to 7 days before eating. When eating picked beets, do not wear white, especially if you like to eat the beets straight from the jar with your fingers. Enjoy!

From Food

Tomorrow is our very last CSA box. So sad. Just as I mastered some beet recipes. We did not sign up for the summer because we're vacationing (yay!) and also hopefully growing our very own local organic food! Double Yay! Stay tuned for an update on our greenhouse veggies.