Happy Friday, dear reader. On this hot and steamy Foodie Friday, I am sharing one of my favorite recipes from one of my favorite people. My mother-in-law is one of my favorite people for many reasons. She brought my bib overall, wearing wonder buns into the world; depending on the day, this is either a blessing or a curse. I jest, that reason alone makes me adore her. GramBarb (said fast and all one word) is not only my mother-in-law but one of my best friends. She treats me like a daughter, adores my child, always has our back, and will go to the ends of the earth to help us. In short, she’s a great lady.
My mother-in-law puts me to shame. She is among the strongest, most capable, hardest working, intelligent people I know. What she accomplishes in one day takes most people a week. When she lived on her farm, she had a well-tended garden that ran the length of her house, beautiful flower beds, beef cows, fields she mowed, and an immaculate yard. Not to mention her home is spotless as well. She is an amazing cook and baker, and she cans. She is a powerhouse.
GramBarb’s home-canned pickled beets and spaghetti sauce are my favorite. She graciously invites us to her house every Sunday for Sunday dinner, and she serves us her pickled beets (mostly because she knows I enjoy them) with each meal. One knows her pickled beets are delicious because my child, who eats nothing, always has a serving of GramBarb’s pickled beets. Her pickled beets pass The Bean’s test.
With the harvest season just beginning, I thought I would share GramBarb’s pickled beet recipe with you. If you are an experienced home canner, enjoy. If you are a novice, make sure to follow all safety procedures and proper canning techniques. If you don’t have an experienced home canning expert to teach you, wonderful books are available, and of course, there is always YouTube. There is something very satisfying about canning your own food to feed your family and yourself. Some things simply cannot be bought from the grocery store’s shelves. Enjoy!
GramBarb’s Pickled Beets
Ingredients:
1 Pint Water
1 Pint Vinegar
2 Pints Sugar
1 Teaspoon Mustard Seeds
Directions:
Clean a half bushel of fresh, small beets, and remove stems.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
Add the cleaned beets to the boiling water.
Cook the beets until they are tender, about one hour.
Remove from the water and skin the beets. (This is my favorite part. The beets pop right out of their skins. It’s quite satisfying.)
Place the hot beets in hot pint jars.
Bring water, vinegar, sugar, and mustard seeds to a boil.
Cover beets with the hot liquid.
Place rings and lids on jars and then process them in a hot bath canner for 3o minutes.
Remove the jars from the canner, set them on a flat surface, and allow them to cool and seal.
Home-canned pickled beets are deliciously served with roast beef, in salads, or as a snack.
On this hot summer day, stay safe, be smart, enjoy good food, try canning your own food if you haven’t, appreciate the good people in your world, and keep washing your hands.
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