Canning recipe
Beets in spiced vinegar
Tender beets slices in sweet-sour vinegar with cinnamon and cloves. Without onions, hot packed and preserved in a boiling water bath as a side dish for cold or warm meals.
30 min.
65 min.
32
8
Medium
Ingredients
950 ml commercially produced white distilled vinegar with 5 % acidity
470 ml fresh drinking water for the brine; separate water for precooking and the water bath
475 ml white granulated sugar, measured loosely by volume, not packed
7.5 ml pure canning salt without additives, measured with a measuring spoon
2 cinnamon sticks
12 whole cloves
Preparation
2. Remove leaves, leaving about 25 mm stem and roots on the beets. Wash thoroughly and sort by size. Cover similar sizes with boiling water and cook until completely tender, about 25–30 minutes. Drain and discard that water; never use it for the brine. Cool briefly until manageable, trim roots and stems, slip off skins and cut slices about 6 mm thick.
3. Mix the 950 ml vinegar, 470 ml fresh water, 475 ml loosely measured sugar and 7.5 ml salt in a large pot. Tie cinnamon and cloves in a clean spice bag and add. Bring to a boil, dissolve sugar, add cooked slices and simmer 5 minutes. Remove spice bag; do not put spices in jars.
4. Loosely fill hot jars with hot slices and cover with hot vinegar brine, leaving 13 mm headspace. Remove bubbles with a nonmetallic tool, adjust headspace, clean rims and close according to the manufacturer. Do not force ingredients into a fixed jar count; use extra suitable jars as needed.
5. Place jars on the rack in the hot water bath, at least 51 mm water above lids. Cover, bring to a vigorous boil and only then time: 30 minutes up to 300 m elevation; 35 minutes above 300 to 900 m; 40 minutes above 900 to 1800 m; 45 minutes above 1800 m. Maintain boiling, adding boiling water if needed. After any interruption restart the full time once boiling resumes.
6. Turn off heat, remove pot lid and wait 5 minutes. Lift jars upright and cool undisturbed for 12–24 hours; do not retighten or invert. Check seals, remove bands and date. Refrigerate correctly processed, freshly cooled jars that did not seal immediately at no more than 4 °C and use within 48 hours.
Storage
Store only correctly processed, sealed jars in a cool, dark, dry place, ideally at 10–21 °C. Refrigerate immediately after opening at no more than 4 °C and use clean utensils.
Shelf life
For best quality, use unopened jars within 12 months. Use opened jars promptly while refrigerated. Use correctly processed, freshly cooled jars that did not seal within 48 hours at no more t
Safety note
Follow vinegar acidity, vinegar-water ratio, ingredient amounts, jar size and processing times. Do not reduce vinegar or dilute it further; no homemade vinegar or freely diluted vinegar concentrate. Discard beet cooking water and use fresh water for brine. Do not add other vegetables, oil, starch or dairy; do not purée. Remove spice bag before filling. Water-bath processing applies only to this fully acidified recipe, never beets without vinegar. Hot filling alone, inversion or an oven is insufficient. A sealed lid alone does not prove safe processing. Never taste incorrectly processed jars, jars that lose their seal later, or jars with bulging lids, mold, gas or an unusual smell; safely discard all contents.