Pickling Beets - odd question.

[Daizymae]

Hi. I want to pickle some large beets from my garden the standard way, i.e., you boil sugar, vinegar, water & cloves, then pour over the precooked, coarsely chopped beets, then place in a sealer.

However, on digging them up, I see that most of them have been somewhat chewed by rodents and then the exposed area dried and sealed, as I guess the beasts damaged my crop some weeks ago.

So, I was wondering if it is a good idea to boil such large, damaged beets (as the first step in pickling.)

My question is: can I just roast the beets in the oven instead prior to pickling? Do you have any other suggestions?

Many thanks!!!

 

[taxlady]

If it were me, I would just cut off the chewed/dried/sealed part and a little extra and then chop or slice and pickle them as usual. I would probably also ask here. I can't promise my suggestion would be safe.

 

[Daizymae]

Hi, tax. Tks for your suggestion. However, if you boil a cut beet, it bleeds and turns light in colour. That is why beets are always boiled whole and why I was wondering what to do.

 

[Dawgluver]

I would say go ahead and roast them, after cutting out the damaged parts. They should pickle up fine. Here's a recipe using roasted beets:

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/pickled-beets-recipe/index.html

 

[taxlady]

Hi, tax. Tks for your suggestion. However, if you boil a cut beet, it bleeds and turns light in colour. That is why beets are always boiled whole and why I was wondering what to do.

D'oh! I forgot that you boil the beets first.

Yeah, I think I would boil or roast one, then cut off the yucky bit (with some extra) and if it passes the sniff test, taste a bit from near the cut. If that one seems okay, I would go ahead and do the rest.

Again, I can't promise that this would be safe. Do you really think it was rodents and not bugs? Were there indications that someone had been digging?

 

[taxlady]

I would say go ahead and roast them, after cutting out the damaged parts. They should pickle up fine.

Won't they still bleed all that wonderful red juice that's full of iron and anti-oxidants?

 

[Dawgluver]

Won't they still bleed all that wonderful red juice that's full of iron and anti-oxidants?

Roasting probably wouldn't bleach them, but I suppose you could do that without cutting out the chewed parts. Maybe experiment with roasting a sacrificial beet with the chewed part cut out.

 

[taxlady]

I have boiled beets that had to have yucky bits cut off. They bled, but they didn't bleach out.

 

[Daizymae]

First, there is no insect damage. I have actually seen the bunnies get into both my carrot and beet beds!

Now that I've decided to roast, I'll take advice to try it both ways: with removal of bad edges first; and retaining the bad edges.

Next question, kids: Should I truly roast (dry heat) my beets, OR should I put foil over the baking dish for steaming?

Sorry to trouble y'all...many thanks. What a neat place, where so many are willing to help.

 

[Dawgluver]

I really think it doesn't matter. Dry roasting should work fine, as well as steaming in foil. You'll have to let us know how it turns out!

 

[Daizymae]

That's surprising to hear. I guess that the smaller the beet, the less the boiling time and therefore the greater the chance it will retain its colour.

 

[Mad Cook]

Hi, tax. Tks for your suggestion. However, if you boil a cut beet, it bleeds and turns light in colour. That is why beets are always boiled whole and why I was wondering what to do.

The knack with boiling beetroot is not to peel them and not to cut the stems off too close to the bulb - about 2 inches is fine - and cook them whole.

The boiling water still ends up purple but the beetroot retains its colour. They are easy to peel when cooked but I'd suggest you wear vinyl or latex gloves when doing it (you can buy these very cheaply in the pharmacy or the supermarket or the £1/$1 shop if you have such a place) otherwise you'll have stained hands.

This is the way my mother taught me to do it when pickling beetroot or making them into chutney or just cooking them to use as a vegetable.

Roasting them can take ages - again, I wouldn't peel them or cut them up first.

 

[Mad Cook]

First, there is no insect damage. I have actually seen the bunnies get into both my carrot and beet beds!

Now that I've decided to roast, I'll take advice to try it both ways: with removal of bad edges first; and retaining the bad edges.

Next question, kids: Should I truly roast (dry heat) my beets, OR should I put foil over the baking dish for steaming?

Sorry to trouble y'all...many thanks. What a neat place, where so many are willing to help.

As regards the bunnies, my neighbour ties old CDs at intervals along strings which she hangs across her veg and fruit beds. It seems to deter Peter Rabbit and Benjamin Bunny as well as the birds.

 

[Daizymae]

Mad Cook [is that mad as in angry or mad as in nut case?] - many thanx for your thorough instructions!

I did roast a few and made pickles. I will boil the rest.

 

[Mad Cook]

Mad Cook [is that mad as in angry or mad as in nut case?] - many thanx for your thorough instructions!

I did roast a few and made pickles. I will boil the rest.

A bit of both depending on the mood I'm in. (There are those who would say definitely nut case all the time)