How to Can Pickled Beets

Step 1

Cut the tops off of the beets, leaving about an inch of stem attached to the beet. Leave the root tail intact. Wash the beets clean of dirt. Place the beets in a large pot with water. Boil until tender but not soft. This should take about 30 minutes to one hour depending on the size of the beets.

Step 2

Rinse the beets in cold water. Slip the skins off. Some of the beet skins don’t slip off as easily so use a paring knife to gently scrape the beet skin off. Cut off the root tail and the top stem. Chop the beets into bite size chunks.

Step 3

Pour the apple cider vinegar and water into a clean pot. Place the cinnamon stick and cloves in a metal tea strainer or tied bundle of cheesecloth. Place the herbs into the pot. Heat until boiling. Boil for 3-5 minutes. If you choose to add honey, stir in honey to taste. Add the beets and stir for a minute, then remove from heat. Remove the herb bundle from the pot.

Step 4

Using a canning funnel, pack the beets into hot sterilized glass canning jars to within 1/2? of the top of the jar. Pour the hot vinegar mixture into the jars until the beets are just covered.

Step 5

Place a sterilized canning lid and ring on each jar. Process the jars in a hot water bath canner for 30 minutes. Adjust this time according to your altitude.