Home canning is a popular way to preserve beets for year-round use. It requires a pressure canner and fresh beets, boiled until the skins slide off easily. Pickled beets can be safely canned in a boiling water bath. Larger beets are stringy and should be avoided.
Canning is a common method of keeping beets fresh. Home canning provides a way for people to preserve their beet crop or buy bulk beets at a discount during the season and keep them year-round. Canning beets at home requires the use of a working pressure canner and beets at the peak of their season and freshness. It’s also essential to properly prepare and package beets, whole or sliced, before storing them.
Before canning beets or other low-acid foods, a person should make sure their pressure cooker is working properly, including by having the dial gauge tested for accuracy. An inaccurate gauge may require replacement to ensure beets are processed correctly. You shouldn’t try to be able to regulate beets using the boiling water bath method, because this isn’t enough to kill the bacteria, leaving the beets underprocessed and susceptible to spoilage. An exception to this is pickled beets, which can be safely canned in a boiling water bath, due to the higher acidity of the pickling process. A person who doesn’t have a pressure canner and doesn’t want to pickle them can freeze beets as a safe alternative.
When choosing beets for canning, a person should be sure they are no more than 1 to 2 inches in diameter (2.54 to 5 cm), because larger beets tend to be too stringy and stringy. The best beets for canning are a deep dark red color and free from blemishes or skin damage. A person who is storing beets harvested from a garden should try to harvest them all at once and not keep them for more than a couple of days before storing. The stems, roots and skin must be left intact. Whole beets should be boiled until the skins slide off easily, about 15 to 25 minutes, depending on size.
Beet skins are easier to escape if a person peels them while running them under cold water, although an effort should be made to keep the beets warm. Be careful when peeling beets, as the juice quickly stains clothing, counters, and wood and plastic surfaces. Whole dairy beets are best for chard, while medium or large beets are best stored in cubes or slices. Hot beets should be packed in hot jars like a pint or quart, leaving a 1-inch headspace after pouring boiling water over the beets. The beets should then be processed in a pressure vessel according to the manufacturer’s directions.
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