Beetroot Pickle
12 medium sized, raw beetroots *
Cold water
700ml white wine vinegar
700ml reserved beetroot cooking liquid
3 tablespoons mustard seeds
2 tablespoons fennel seeds
½ teaspoon salt
650g white sugar
2 onions - sliced into 1cm thick rings
Place beets in a deep pot and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil and cook until the beets are just soft - do not overcook! Remove from the cooking liquid, retaining 700ml of the cooking liquid. Allow beetroots to cool completely before removing the tops and tails and gently pushing off the skins with your hands. Cut the beets into 1cm thick slices and set aside.
For the pickle, place the vinegar, reserved cooking liquid, sugar and salt into a pot and cook until the sugar has dissolved. Stir every so often to avoid the sugar from burning.
Once the sugar has dissolved add 1 tablespoon mustard seeds and a pinch of the fennel seeds into the liquid and allow to steep.
To bottle, divide the mustard and fennel seeds between two big, sterilized jars. Stack the beetroot and onion disks in alternating layers until each bottle is full. Make sure to pack the vegetables tightly! Fill the bottles with the warm pickle juice, seal with caps and allow to cool.
Once cooled, keep in fridge for at least a week before using. Keeps well for 6 months.
* I used stripy beetroots because that’s what is growing in my garden… use whatever beets you can find!
12 medium sized, raw beetroots *
Cold water
700ml white wine vinegar
700ml reserved beetroot cooking liquid
3 tablespoons mustard seeds
2 tablespoons fennel seeds
½ teaspoon salt
650g white sugar
2 onions - sliced into 1cm thick rings
Place beets in a deep pot and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil and cook until the beets are just soft - do not overcook! Remove from the cooking liquid, retaining 700ml of the cooking liquid. Allow beetroots to cool completely before removing the tops and tails and gently pushing off the skins with your hands. Cut the beets into 1cm thick slices and set aside.
For the pickle, place the vinegar, reserved cooking liquid, sugar and salt into a pot and cook until the sugar has dissolved. Stir every so often to avoid the sugar from burning.
Once the sugar has dissolved add 1 tablespoon mustard seeds and a pinch of the fennel seeds into the liquid and allow to steep.
To bottle, divide the mustard and fennel seeds between two big, sterilized jars. Stack the beetroot and onion disks in alternating layers until each bottle is full. Make sure to pack the vegetables tightly! Fill the bottles with the warm pickle juice, seal with caps and allow to cool.
Once cooled, keep in fridge for at least a week before using. Keeps well for 6 months.
* I used stripy beetroots because that’s what is growing in my garden… use whatever beets you can find!