Spicy Pickled Beets (canning recipe)

If you're on the fence about beets, this recipe might change your mind. It did mine!

Spicy Pickled Beets
Recipe from Ball Blue Book
Makes 3-4 pints

4 lbs beets. Red is traditional here, but any mix is fine.
3 cups thinly sliced onions
2 cups sugar
3 sticks cinnamon
1 tbsp mustard seed
1 tsp whole allspice
1 tsp whole clove
1 tsp salt
2 1/2 cups cider vinegar (make sure its REAL cider vinegar and not just white vinegar with color added)
1 1/2 cups water

Wash beets well, scrubbing off any residual dirt, but being careful to not puncture skin, and trim tops and root end, leaving an inch or two attached (this helps them retain their color).

Put beets in large pot of water and bring to a boil. Simmer 30 to 60 minutes, until beets are cooked through and easily pierced with a knife (time is going to depend on size – 1″ beets only need about 30 minutes – extra large ones need much longer). If your beets are not all the same size, you may need to remove the smaller ones first and let the others continue to cook for a few more minutes.

Once cooked, plunge into cold water, cut off tops and bottoms and peel with your fingers. Cut into halves, quarters or more, until they are all 1 to 1 1/2 inches at their thickest part. Size is important here for vinegar penetration, which is what preserves them and makes them shelf stable.

Combine remaining ingredients into a large sauce pan, bring to a boil, and simmer for 5 minutes so that the spices bloom and the onions cook lightly. Add the beets and heat until back to a simmer.

Remove cinnamon sticks. Fill pint jars with beet/onion/spice/brine mixture, leaving 1/4″ head space. Liquid should cover beets. Tap or swirl jar to release any trapped air bubbles. Cap lids finger tight (remember, you want air from inside the jar to be able to escape if needed) and process in a boiling water bath canner for 30 minutes.