My grandma used to make Harvard beets for every holiday dinner, just for me. Perhaps it was the only vegetable dish I liked, but whatever the reason, it became a family tradition.

Besides the fact that I love these sweet and sour beets, beets are quite easy to grow, and the greens are a good alternative to spinach in smoothies, so I have several reasons to grow them in my garden.

If they're on your list of garden staples too, here is how to can them so you can enjoy their ruby-colored beauty and flavor all winter long.

Preparing your Beets

I've found it easiest to wash garden-fresh beets outside to get the bulk of the soil off before coming inside the house. In the kitchen, cut off the beet tops but leave an inch or so of the stems and roots attached to keep the color from bleeding out of the beet. Wash and scrub the beets well.



Boil the beets for about 15-25 minutes, depending on their size. Let them cool until you can handle them, the slip off the skins and cut off the stems and roots.

Cut or slice the beets into fairly uniform-sized pieces or slices. You can leave small beets whole and halve or quarter larger ones. If you're slicing them, cut the larger slices in half or quarters if needed.

Fill the Jars

Keep your sterilized jars in hot water until you are ready to fill them. Fill the hot jars with hot beets and hot water, leaving an inch of head space in the jars. If you wish you can add one teaspoon of salt per quart.




Wipe the jar rims with a damp cloth and apply the lids and rings. Tighten the rings to "fingertip tight" but don't overtighten them.

Place the jars in your pressure canner using a jar lifter. Add the amount of water your owner's manual recommends, then put the lid on the canner.

Processing

Follow the directions given for your particular canner. I use this 23-quart Presto pressure canner which you can find at Lehman's Hardware.



Pint jars of beets should be processed for 30 minutes at 11 pounds of pressure in a dial-gauge pressure canner (my Presto pressure canner is a dial-gauge canner). Quarts should be processed for 35 minutes at 11 pounds of pressure.

If you live at an elevation higher than 1,000 feet above sea level, you'll need to increase the pressure. Check the chart at the Pick Your Own website for times according to your altitude. (The directions at Pick Your Own are for pickled beets but the times are the same for plain beets.)

Follow your canner's directions for cooling the canner completely before opening it. Remember to lift the lid of the canner away from your face to avoid being burned by the hot steam.

Use the jar lifter to remove the jars from the canner and place them on a towel-covered counter. Leave them undisturbed for 24 hours, then you can remove the rings and wipe down the jars.

Don't forget to label your jars - jars of red plums look very similar to jars of small, whole beets on the shelf.

Folks seem to either love beets or hate them. Which one are you?


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