Ingredients for pickling Beetroots

Up to 2kg fresh beetroot
1 - 1/2 litres vinegar
(either malt or wine vinegar)
1 tablespoon coriander seeds
1 tablespoon peppercorns
(About 4 whole cloves)
1 bay leaf (dried)
100g Sugar (optional)
cinnamon
A jar.

How to make easy Pickled Beetroot:

Start by chopping the stalks off the beetroot, but leave an inch or so at the end.

Scrub the beetroot gently to remove any mud, taking care not to damage the skin.

Wrap them in foil and bake the beetroots at 180 degrees C for up to 2 hours.

Baking works great but if you have a large enough pan you can simmer it for an hour until they are tender.

You can tell if the beets are ready by piercing the beetroot with a knife. If it goes in easily  the beetroots are tender.

Pickling Spice and pickled vinegar mixture:

Put the vinegar, coriander, cloves, peppercorns and bay leaf in a large pan. If you prefer sweet pickled beetroot, add 100g brown sugar to the vinegar pre heating.

Stir well to make sure the sugar has dissolved. You can also add a bit of cinnamon at this point. Bring to the boil for about 1 minute. Turn off the heat and cover the pan.

Leave the flavours to infuse for about 2 hours and then drain before using.

Put the slices into sterilised jars.

Wash the jars in hot, soapy water and rinse well Put upside down in an oven at 100 degrees C for 20 minutes. Take the containers out and allow them to cool slightly.

Put the beetroot slices into the sterilized jar. Pour the pickling spice vinegar through a fine sieve into the jars.

Seal the jars with an airtight vinegar resistant lid.

Leave the beets in a cool dark place for a few weeks before eating. You should gently shake the jars every week or so, to allow the flavours to infuse.

Some advice on your choice of jars :

Vinegar is an acid and will react with certain materials. If you are not sure about the jar you are using leave some vinegar in the pickle jar over night to see if will take the pickling challenge.

Metal lids will go rusty with vinegar so place some plastic wrap between the jar and the lid when you seal them. Once pickled it will last about a year.

I find that jam jars make good pickling jars. Any type of tightly lidded storage jar will do. Jam jars especially the thicker glass varieties provide the right shape and size.

look for a jam jar that has a wider top than a base as this makes it easier to get the pickles.