Take a trip back to the olden days by serving your own mouth-watering, homemade canned beets this Thanksgiving. The homesteading art of canning is a time-consuming process. However, an afternoon of preparation yields enough canned beats to last throughout the year. A modern improvement of the pioneer art of canning is the pressure canner. A pressure canner is recommended for canning all fruits and vegetables to decrease the risk of botulism and other food borne illnesses that often thrive in improperly canned goods.
Step 1
Wash beets under running water.
Step 2
Wash canning jars, seals and rings in a sink of hot, soapy water or in a dishwasher. Keep jars in the dishwasher or sink until needed.
Step 3
Cut the tops off of the beets but leave on the taproot and two inches of the top stem. This helps the beet to retain its color after it's been boiled.
Step 4
Boil the beets in a large pot for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the skin scrapes off easily using a spoon. Blanch the beets in a bowl of cold water until they are cool enough to handle. Scrape the skin off using your hands, a spoon or a knife.
Step 5
Cut off the top stem and taproot. Chop beets into slices, chunks or leave whole.
Step 6
Fill canning jars with whole or chopped beets and boiling water, leaving headroom of one inch. Add canning salt if you desire at a ratio of 1/2 tsp. for each pint and 1 tsp. per quart.
Step 7
Wipe any juice off of the rims and stir the beets around with a spatula to remove any air bubbles.
Step 8
Cover the jars tightly with seals and rings. Place the canning jars on a rack in a pressure canner filled with two to three inches of water.
Step 9
Pressure cook pint jars for 30 minutes and quart jars for 35 minutes.
Step 10
Remove the jars from the pressure cooker with a jar lifter and set the jars on towels or a cooling rack. Allow the jars to cool overnight before handling.
Step 11
Label and date all jars of canned beets.
Tips and Warnings
- Adjust pressure cooker according to your altitude. For a dial gauge pressure cooker, adjust the dial by one digit for every altitude increase of 1,000 feet. An altitude between 0 to 1,000 feet should be set at 10. Set the dial to 11 for 1,001 to 2,000 feet. For a weighted gauge pressure cooker, set the gauge to 10 for an altitude of 0 to 1000 feet. For all other altitudes, set the dial to 15.
- Always use a rack when using a pressure cooker; do not allow the jars to touch each other during the cooking or cooking process. Jars are very hot; always handle with care.
Things You'll Need
- Beets
- Canning salt
- Pressure canner with rings
- Canning jars with seals and rings
- Knife
- Jar lifter
- Towels
- Large spoon
- Large cooking pot
- Spatula
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