I dug up about 15 pounds of beets from the garden to make pickled beets. I ended up with three batches of five pints each, so I have plenty put away to enjoy over the coming months.

Here’s how I prepared the beets, made the pickling liquid, and canned them in a water bath.

I cut the stems down, leaving just under 2 inches attached, and left the roots on. Leaving some stem and the root attached helps keep the beets from bleeding while they boil.

I washed the beets and put them on to boil. They took 20 to 40 minutes to cook, depending on their size. I cooked them until they were tender enough for a knife to go through easily.

I transferred the cooked beets into cold water. This cooled them down and made peeling them much easier.

After the beets had cooled, I removed the remaining stems and roots and peeled them. The skins practically rubbed off after boiling and cooling.

I sliced the beets and measured out 10 cups for the first batch.

I left the rest of the cooked beets in the cold water, still unpeeled. I did the same thing last year. It worked well and meant I could leave the remaining beets ready for the next batch without peeling and cutting everything at once.

Making the Pickling Liquid

I used the recipe from last year but increased the amount of pickling liquid. My notes said the liquid was barely enough to cover five pints, so I increased the recipe to 125% of the original amount.

For five pints, I used 3.75 tablespoons of pickling spice, 3.125 cups of white vinegar, 1.25 cups of water, and 1.25 cups of granulated sugar.

I brought the pickling liquid to a boil and simmered it for 15 minutes. I added the prepared beets to the pickling liquid and brought everything back to a boil.

I started filling the jars with the hot beets and pickling liquid.

I packed the beets into the jars, leaving ½ inch of headspace. I poured the hot pickling liquid over the beets, filling the spaces around them while maintaining the ½ inch of headspace.

I used a bubble remover to release any air bubbles trapped between the pieces of beet. I checked the headspace again and adjusted the ones that needed it.

I wiped the jar rims with paper towels dampened with vinegar. I put the lids on and screwed the bands down finger tight.

Water Bath Canning the Pickled Beets

I placed the filled jars into the water bath canner and added hot water until the jars were covered by at least 1 inch of water.

The recipe calls for processing the jars for 30 minutes at altitudes of 1,000 feet and under. Because of my altitude, I increased the processing time to 35 minutes.

After 35 minutes, I opened the lid and let the jars sit in the canner for 5 minutes.

I removed the jars from the canner and placed them upright on a towel on my table to cool.

Filling the Next Batches

I only needed 9 cups of beets to fill the five pint jars while maintaining the ½ inch headspace. I had measured out 10 cups for the first batch, so I had a few slices left over.

I repeated the process for the next two batches, starting with peeling and slicing the remaining cooked beets. I filled five pint jars with each batch, added the pickling liquid, removed the air bubbles, checked the headspace, cleaned the rims, and processed the jars in the water bath canner for 35 minutes.

I had a few slices of beets left over from each batch. Those don’t go to waste. They’re perfect for eating right away, so I get to taste the pickled beets while the jars are cooling.

The Finished Pickled Beets

By the time I finished, I had three batches of pickled beets put away, with five pints in each batch.

The most time-consuming part is cooking, cooling, peeling, and cutting the beets. After that, the rest of the process goes fairly quickly.

I like taking beets from the garden and turning them into something I can enjoy throughout the year. There is something satisfying about seeing those jars lined up on the shelf, knowing that I have homemade pickled beets ready whenever I want them.

Leave some of the stem and the roots on while boiling, cool the beets before peeling them, and pay attention to the headspace and processing time.

After the jars have cooled, check that they have sealed properly. Then they’re ready to go on the shelf and wait until you’re ready to open one.