MSU Extension Food Preservation

Michigan Fresh grown beets are available from mid-summer to late fall. Whether you choose to purchase beets at a local farmers market or grow beets in your garden, they are a great source of vitamins and minerals. Michigan State University Extension recommends you wash your hands before handling any fresh produce and rinse the beets under lukewarm water before preparing.

Canning beets

Pressure canning is the only safe method for canning beets. For the best quality, use beets that are 1-2 inches in diameter. To begin preparing beets for canning, cover them with boiling water and boil until skin slips off easily (about 15 to 25 minutes, depending on size of beets). Cool, remove skins and trim off the stems and roots. You can leave baby beets whole and cut medium or large beets into 1/2-inch cubes or slices. If the beets are very large, half or quarter them. If desired, add one teaspoon of salt per quart to each jar. Fill hot jars with hot beets and fresh hot water, leaving 1-inch headspace. Remove air bubble and adjust headspace if necessary. Process pints for 30 minutes and quarts for 35 minutes following the guidelines below:   

• Weighted-gauge canner at 10 pounds pressure
• Dial-gauge canner at 11 pounds pressure

Pickled beets

Pickled beets are a favorite for many, including some of my family members. Water bath canning is recommended for pickled beets because when pickling vegetables, the added vinegar makes them a high-acid food and high-acid foods can be water bath canned safely. Below is a research-based recipe for pickled beets to try.

• 7 pounds of 2- to 2 ½ -inch diameter beets
• 4 to 6 onions, peeled to 2- to 2 ½ -inches in diameter (if desired)
• 4 cups white or cider vinegar (5% acidity)
• 1 ½ teaspoons canning or pickling salt
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 cups water
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 12 whole cloves

Start by trimming off beet tops, leaving 1-inch of stem and roots to prevent bleeding of color during cooking. Rinse beets thoroughly and cover similar-sized beets with boiling water and cook until tender (about 25 to 30 minutes). Drain and discard liquid (extra liquid will dilute the vinegar, making the product unsafe). Cool beets and then trim off roots and stems and slip off skins and slice into ¼ -inch slices. If desired, peel and thinly slice onions.

Next, combine vinegar, salt, sugar and 2 cups of fresh water. Put spices (cinnamon sticks and cloves) in cheesecloth bag and add to vinegar mixture. Bring the mixture to a boil then add beets and onions. Simmer for five minutes followed by removing spice bag.  After simmering, fill hot jars with beets and onions, and add vinegar solution, leaving a ½ -inch headspace. Remove air bubbles and adjust headspace if necessary.

Process pints or quarts in a water bath canner for 30 minutes. Let jars stand undisturbed for 24 hours. Follow by removing rings, label and date the jars for storage.

Michigan Fresh can help you and your family grow, preserve, and eat all that grows fresh in Michigan. Visit our website to check out all the variety of Michigan Fresh fact sheets with information on using, storing and preserving Michigan grown food. It’s Michigan Fresh – for you!

Recipe for canning beets was adapted from the Complete Guide to Home Canning: Guide 4: Selecting, Preparing and Canning Vegetables and Vegetable Products, USDA, 2015, p. 9.

Recipe for pickled beets was adapted from the National Center for Home Food Preservation (NCHFP), Preparing and Canning Pickled Vegetables: Pickled Beets, February 2018. The NCHFP adapted it from the Complete Guide to Home Canning (Agriculture Information Bulletin, No. 539). USDA, 2015.