Ingredients
16 good sized beets (or 32 small, 1-3 inches)
4 cups vinegar (or 2 cups vinegar, 2 cups water if you want a milder flavor)
2 cups sugar
1 tbsp cinnamon
1 tbsp allspice
1 tbsp mustard seed
1 tbsp cloves
1 tsp salt
Directions
Scrub your beets a bit to get the dirt off and trim off tops and the scraggly root part. If you’re planning to peel your beets don’t worry too much about cleaning them well. If you’re planning to leave the skins on, which is fine for younger, smaller beets, scrub hard!
On a cookie sheet, lightly coat your beets with olive oil. Roast at 350º F until you can pierce them with a fork. If you’re working with larger beets you plan to peel, roast them until the skins are loose. Then cool and peel easily. If you’re not planning on peeling and are working with younger beets, you can roast to taste - beets can be eaten raw so you can’t undercook a beet.
Slice your beets into bite sized pieces.
Prepare your pickling liquid by combining all the other ingredients in a large jar. Then just plop your beets in and allow to pickle for 4-24 hours. Then strain and serve.
If you want a milder flavor, you can rinse the beets before you serve them.
Also, consider holding onto that pickling liquid. It’s great to throw some hardboiled eggs in there!
