Wash the beets and boil them with their skins until they are tender. Slip the skin off, slice the beets and cover with a mixture of 1/3w ater and 2/3 cider vinegar. And for every 2 cups of the cider water mix, add 1/4 cup sugar, 2 crumbled bay leaf 5 whole cloves and 1/4 cup sliced onion. Pour over the sliced hot beets and refrigerate for at leasrt 8 hours....longer is better.
For Harvard beets mix 1/2 cup sugar with 1/2 cup with 2 1/2 teaspoons of cornstarch, cook until thick and pour hot over sliced beets.
My mother would use that recipe for harvard beets and add 1 T. cornstarch instead of 1 1/2 teaspoons and 1/2 cup orange juice and a bit of grated rind.
Linda C

Thanks so much sounds yummy.

skraps, here is the recipe I use to can pickled beets, I like the addition of the spices. I triple this amount and make a dozen jars at a time, so it can be increased without problems. I think I like the onions better than I do the beets!

Spicy Pickled Beets

Source of Recipe
from the Ball Blue Book

Spicy Pickled Beets
-----------
4 pounds beets
1 pound onions -- thinly sliced
2 1/2 cups cider vinegar
1 1/2 cups water
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups sugar
1 tablespoon mustard seed*
1 teaspoon whole allspice*
1 teaspoon whole cloves*
3 cinnamon sticks* -- broken

Wash and drain beets. Leave 2' of stem and the tap roots. Cover with water and boil until tender. Remove peel. Slice.

Combine remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil and simmer 5 minutes. Add beets and cook until heated. Remove cinnamon sticks.

Pack hot beets into jars leaving 1/4" headspace. pour hot pickling solution over beets, leaving 1/4" headspace. remove air bubbles. Adjust caps. Process in a boiling water bath for 30 minutes at 0-1000 ft., 35 minutes at 1001-3000 ft., 40 minutes at 3000-6000 ft., and 45 minutes over 6000 ft.

Yield: "4 pints"

Annie

HARVARD BEETS
2 lbs medium beets, tops removed
1/3 cup sugar
2 tBL cornstarch
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup water
3 TBL butter or margarine

Boile beets in skins in covered, large heavy saucepan of lightly salted boiling water 40-45 minutes until tender. Drain, quick-chill in ice water, then peel & trim off stem & root ends. Slice beets thin & reserve.
Mix sugar, cornstarch, salt & pepepr in a pan & slowly blend in vinegar. Add water & butter & cook over moderate heat, stirring constantly, 3-5 minutes until mixture thickens & clears.
Return beets to pan & turn gently in sauce. Reduce heat to lowest point, cover & simmer beets 10 minutes. Serve at once.~~American Century Cookbook

PICKLED BEETS (serves 12)
1 cup vinegar
1 tsp salt
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 tsp mixed whole pickling spices
8-12 medium beets, cooked, cooled & sliced or quartered

Combine the vinegar, salt, garlic, sugar & spices in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, simmer 2-3 minutes & pour over the beets. Cool & chill. NOTE: May be stored in the refrigerator up to 2 weeks.~~Craig Claiborne

Here's my favorite fall beet recipe.

APRICOT-GLAZED BEETS Â 4 servings

2 Tbs. butter
1 tsp. lemon juice
¼ cup maple syrup
¼ cup apricot juice-*
1/8 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
1/8 tsp. grated ginger root (optional)
12 to 16 baby beets, about 1 inch in diameter, cooked and peeled

In saucepan, combine all ingredients except beets. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce to low and simmer for 4 to 8 minutes. Add beets and toss gently to coat. Heat through for one minute. You can use larger beets, cut into quarters or eighths.

* - To make your own apricot juice: Combine ¼ cup dried apricots and 1 cup water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer over very low heat for about 40 minutes, or until apricots are soft. Remove apricots (these can be diced and sprinkled over the beets or used in scones, nut bread, etc.)

I love Harvard Beets and I already canned three batches of pickled beets, but I still have a few beets waiting to be cooked.

Ruthanna, this sounds delicious, I've copied and pasted. Maybe tonight. If it's half as good as the tomato-basil butter I got from you (and have some stashed in the freezer, BTW) these are going to be outstanding.

Annie

This is my mother's recipe. My cousin makes it all the time too (says it's the only pickled beets she really likes)!

4 quart basket of beets
Pickling spice
Garlic

Brine:

1 cup white sugar
2 cups vinegar
4 cups water or cooking liquid the beets were cooked in (itÂs much more tasty) Â see Note

Cook beets for approximately 2 hours. Peel and slice the beets, and place in hot sterilized jars. Add brine and a pinch of pickling spice and a piece of garlic.

Place jars on a wire rack in a large pot so jars donÂt touch bottom of pot (if you donÂt have a wire rack, you can make one with a wire hanger). Fill pot with enough water to cover the jars; bring to a boil. Let boil on medium heat for 10 minutes. Remove jars from pot. Let cool. Ready to eat in a couple of weeks!

NOTE: ItÂs important that the beets be washed and scrubbed very well if you use the cooking liquid (beet juice) in the brine.