Our prayers were heard and answered, for we had a good rain today; almost 1 1/4", and the dry, parched earth soaked it up in relief. It came a little too late for a lot of the garden things; for instance, I pulled the corn up the other day because it was so shriveled up and short, and I harvested the potatoes, which were mostly small, as in egg size. This morning I pulled the beets which were also smaller than usual.
Now I don't care for beets unless they are pickled. To me, beets taste like what I think dirt would taste like, so when pickled with a brine of vinegar and sugar they lose that flavor. I cut their tops off and left them to compost in the garden, then washed them twice before I brought them to the house. Beets need to have their roots left intact while being cooked, otherwise they will "bleed" off a lot of their color. So I washed them again before cooking them. I don't think there's ever been a time when I cooked beets that they didn't boil over a little and make a mess on the stove top; but it doesn't stain.
After filling the jars I put them in a water bath just to be sure they sealed good. I've already heard the "POP" indicating they have sealed. So now I have seven pints; Brittney will get most of them because she loves beet pickles, and we don't need something that sweet.
Do you like beets? They are a good source of iron, ascorbic acid, fiber, and low in calories; that is until they're pickled with all that sugar!
Charlotte
I guess I like the taste of "dirt" because I like beets cooked with butter, salt & pepper. Not pickled.
ReplyDeleteglad you got some rain.
I grew up eating beets - maybe we eat them more in the northern states? mom always made either Harvard Beets which were sweet/sour or just plain boiled and then with butter on them.
ReplyDeleteI do not have much left in my garden I have pulled most of it up - a failure this year. We had rain too but I don't think as much as you got.
Karen
http://karensquilting.com/blog/
My hubby loves beets - but I don't care for them.
ReplyDeleteWe had a wonderful rain last night! Will be interesting to find out exactly how much. I, of course, had watered all my outside plants earlier in the evening because I thought the storms would miss us.
I'm glad for the farmers - the corn crops were beginning to look bad.
I like beets just exactly that way Charlotte. They look delicious.
ReplyDeleteI am so thankful you got rain. Isn't it glorious when it comes? I'm going to pray we both get all that we need to replenish what has been lost.
We are, they say, in the worst drought since the 1800's. I ache for the farmers and ranchers who are losing everything.
I believe He is faithful. He will send us the rain - in due time.
I love pickled beets! I wouldn't eat them any other way. You are making me want to grow beets next year, maybe I will.
ReplyDeleteJeff would say you left the best part in the compost pile! :D
ReplyDeleteI roasted our beet crop (yes, all 7 of them) a couple of weeks ago. They were pretty good. The recipe called for rosemary, which covered up the "dirt" taste. They had a different texture, too.
I like beets any way-even raw! And I think they taste like dirt too-so what does that say about me LOL!
ReplyDeleteI'm going to pickle the rest of mine tomorrow-and I'm thinking of trying a beet relish recipe I found.
I forgot to say-YAY for your rain-I'm glad you finally got some : )
ReplyDelete