Unbeatable Beetroot

This has been pickling week in my kitchen. There's something very satisfying about seeing rows of jars of home pickled vegetables in my kitchen cupboards.  Every year I try to set some aside to give as Yule gifts but I always eat them myself!

If you're thinking, bleugh, I hate pickled beetroot, I suspect that you were forced to eat the really acidic shop bought stuff. Forget that horrible, proper pickled beetroot is just the most delicious thing. 

The flavour of beetroot is quite delicate, earthy and sweet. It’s one of my favourite vegetables because it’s easy to grow and you can use every last bit of it, including the leaves. You don’t even have to cook it, it’s lovely grated raw in salads. Just cut the tops off  (but don’t throw them away, use them just like spinach!) peel with a potato peeler and grate.  The pigment in beetroot turns brown fairly quickly when exposed to light, so make it one of the last ingredients you add to a salad before serving. I think the sweetness of raw beetroot has an affinity with raw carrot, they work very well together in a salad.

How to Grow Beetroot

You can sow beetroot seeds directly into the soil from April to July (in the UK) . It’s a good idea to sow a few rows a 3 weeks apart. That way you won’t end up with a pile of beetroots all ready to eat on one day and none for the rest of the summer

Dig the soil, remove weeds and large stones. Rake the soil after digging to leave a fine finish.  Take a bamboo cane and drag it though the prepared soil to make a trench that’s 2cm deep (0.75 in). Pop one seed into the trench every 10cm (4 in). When you get to the end of the row, cover the trench with soil and water well.  Put a marker at the end of the row to remind you that you’ve planted something there, and what it is. Keep the seed packet for future reference.

When the seedlings are about 2cm (0.75 in) tall, it’s time to be cruel to be kind. Even though you spaced the seeds out, inevitably some will have moved and will be annoying their neighbours. Carefully pull out any anti-social ones so that there is one seedling every 10cm (4in). It might seem harsh, but when they’re all crowded together no one gets enough water, light or space.

That’s all you need to do. Water them when the weather is dry, and remove any weeds. Depending on the variety you bought (check the seed packet) they’re usually ready in about 3 months from sowing. I like to pick mine when they’re still quite small, about half way between the size of a golf and tennis ball.

 

Here's the recipe I've used for ages for pickling beets. Don't be put off by the olive oil. I know it sounds odd to have it in a pickling recipe, but it really takes the flavours to another dimension. I usually double this recipe.

500g whole beetroot
Tap water
Salt

For the pickling vinegar
180g cider vinegar (or malt vinegar, or wine vinegar, whatever you fancy)
50g balsamic vinegar
180g unrefined caster sugar
3 whole star anise
30g extra virgin olive oil + extra to top up the jars
1 whole cinnamon stick
4 cloves
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
1 teaspoon sea salt

Twist off the leaves (the colour bleeds if you cut them) and wash the beets in cold water. Leave the little roots on, if you cut them off the colour leeches out.  Place the beets in a large saucepan of water with 1 tablespoon of salt.  Bring the water to the boil and cook the beets until they are tender (usually about 20 minutes but it depends how big your beets are)  Remove the beets from the pan and set them aside to cool.  Once cooled, pick each one up with a piece of absorbant kitchen paper & gently rub the skin to remove it. Cut them into wedges or slices, whichever you like.

Put all the pickling vinegar ingredients into a small saucepan and bring the mixture to the boil.  Reduce the heat and let the liquid simmer for 5 minutes. Leave to cool a little and then strain.

Fill sterilised jars with the cooked beets and top up with the pickling liquid. That's it, done!