Allotments 4 All
Produce => Recipes => Topic started by: supersprout on September 05, 2006, 15:24:20
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I'd like to preserve my lovely beet by bottling (only have a tiny freezer). Is there a way to preserve them without vinegar - or in a sweet and mild vinegar? I don't like them preserved in neat vinegar, find it too sharp. Hope someone can help, I've never tried preserving beetroot, step by step instructions please ::)
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Hi SS
Not exactly what you asked for but last year I just got a bucket with a lid put beetroot in covered with sand new layer etc. 2 buckets kept well up to Xmas when w ran out.
Threw away 2 from about 60 beet.
Heard it can be done with soil instead of sand which I will try this year as It will probably be easier to remove
Glow
PS did this instead of vinegar as I don't like/allergic to vinegar
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I might yet follow your advice there glow, but I have this dream of reaching into the storecupboard and pulling out a jar of yummy beetroot something :'( ::) :P
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small beets can be frozen or maybe try a red wine vinegar, or a fruit vinegar or any flavoured vinegar to take the 'edge' off - if you like balsamic that could be mixed with another vinegar :)
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oo that's starting to sound better - do you just pour cold vinegar over cold cooked beetroot?
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yes, just cook, rub skins off gently, pack into jars and cover with cold flavoured or mixed vinegar, although apparently it keeps longer if you slice and pour over boiled and still hot vinegar so that might help decide which to use - one book I have says cold will keep up to 2/12
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thank you calendula, does it matter if the beet are hot or not? <stoopid smiley>
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I make an apple and beetroot chutney , its quite sweet and scrummy yummy, I'm not sure if this is any good to you so thought I'd ask before typing out the recipe :)
Just let me know if you would like the recipe :)
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oh yes please dixie, I can believe that beet would go well with apple :)
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thank you calendula, does it matter if the beet are hot or not? <stoopid smiley>
yes, best to cool down so the temperature differentials are closer - apologies you did ask for step by step instructions :(
and if you like the combo of beetroot and apple try them both mixed in with mashed potato - amazingly wild colour but fab
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Thank you calendula :-*
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May not be up your street but, once again, my American g/m's pickle -
Cover cooked beet with 1 cup cider vinegar boiled with 1/2 cup brown sugar.
Nicest with orange beet.
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That's exactly the sort of thing tim, thank you too :-*
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ooh yes the sugar addition would be really nice - you might want to try raspberry vinegar - I usually make my own just by popping a few raspberries into a cider or white wine vinegar or if you feel flushed use a white balsamic - mmm must be nearly supper time, makes your mouth water ;D
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Beetroot and Apple Chutney
12oz finely chopped onions
21b cooked beetroot, peeled and diced
12oz cooking apples, diced (weight when peeled)
3/4 pint white vinegar
1tsp pickling spices
12oz sugar
1tsp salt
Put onions, beetroot and apples into a pan with vinegar, tie pickling spices in a muslim bag and add to the pan. Simmer til the apples are soft and then add sugar. Stir and boil staedily until the chutney reaches desired consistency. Add salt and remove spices and spoon into jars.
the apple and beetroot mash sounds wonderful :D
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mmmmmmmm!
I also don't like the too-sharp vinegar of pickled beetroot, and this year has been a bumper crop. I grew cylindra, and they're about 6" long...
As an addition to the storage query, I always find that carrots and beets go soft and rubbery within 2-3 days of being picked. Yet shop-bought ones don't.
Why? I can only think that it's water levels (home-grown tastes better cos it's not forced to grow fast with loads of water) but in that case does damp sand stop them depleting?
moonbells
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lovely chutney rx - I'm soon to start harvesting my apples so will be making this
beetroot should keep quite well in damp sand but you have to keep the dampness just right - store cool and frost free - vermiculite can be used as well
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love this thread.... was down at the lottie yesterday, looking at my bumper crop of beetroot, thinking to myself "why did i grow this? i have no idea what to do with it".......
well now I do.... thank you all. ;D ;D ;D
Tabby x
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thank you dixie, looks really scrummy - and simple! :P :D
will give that a go at the weekend, got to wait for my lottie neighbour to turn up so I can get permission to scrump his apples ;)
MB I grow both forono and cylindra - they seem to stay tender and sweet even when they get to sausage size don't they? ;D
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Try half vinegar and half water with a teaspoon of sugar per 1 lb jar. Ours were fine right up until the last jar in April. Even our little grandkids love them
My mother used to make a raspberry jelly with half vinegar half water and put chopped beet in - delicious.
SodB
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here is a lovely South African recipe that I have used for many years and alto you use vinegar it is not too sharp. Tastes better than the store bought stuff with a slightly sweet/spicy taste, but at a fraction of the price. I think it is very good.
Recipe:
2 bunches beetroot, 3 cups vinegar, 1 tsp. ginger, 1.5 tsp cinnamon, 2 cups water, quarter tsp pepper, 2 cups sugar, 1.5 tsp ground clove and 1 tsp salt
Method:
Place all the above ingredients, except the beetroot into a pot and bring to boil. Meanwhile in a separate pot boil the beetroot in salted water until just tender. DO NOT OVERCOOK. Drain the water and peel the beetroot, cut into rings or grate (whatever your preference). Once the mixture comes to the boil place the cut/grated beetroot into it and allow to simmer gently for 20 minutes. DO NOT BOIL. Place in clean dry sterilised bottled and seal whilst warm.
Enjoy
Jitterbug
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Thank you so much sods and jitterbug, I did wonder about diluting the vinegar but the books do bang on about 5 per cent ??? will try yours too j., any idea how many beet in a bunch? ::)
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SS, I can't agree with you (yet!) about cylindra as I've not yet eaten any and they're (cough) rather large. I just hope they're as nice as the huuuge Boltardys are!
(http://www.moonbells.com/allotment/2006/September_06/060906_1.jpg)
moonbells
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OK 6 x 1lb jars of beetroot and apple chutney are cooling in the kitchen.
How long before it's ready do you think? :P
:o@MB, I think forono and cylindra are the exception to the rule that veg are nicer when small!
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I always leave my chutneys a couple of months unless desperate, always better with age :)
Can I ask what type of apple you used. I picked hundreds of dessert apples today (Katy) but tend to use those for eating fresh or tarte tatins and all the other apples will have to wait until October for picking, but I'm sure the variety of apple will make a bit of difference :-\
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5%? I would say no less than 5.5%??
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What kind of apple?
Erm, the ones my antique lottie neighbour grew from a pip 30 years ago! They're dessert apples - crisp, slightly less sharp than a Granny Smith. Variety unknown ::)
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Hi Supersprout
a bunch is normally about 5 - 6 biggish round beetroot.
Good luck.
Jitterbug
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Just visited my daughter who found a jar of half vinegar and sugar water beetroot which we bottled over 12mths ago - it tastes absolutley fine.
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Do you boil and add hot to the beetroot for this one SodB? Just got some beet up so could try your half-and-halfer today ::)
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A friend of mine made a kind of beetrooty jam one year.
We've lost touch now so no recipe I'm afraid :-\
Not very helpful I know but maybe an idea to play about with if you know how to make jam. There might have been orange in it too...
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Tried the chutney recipe that Dixie mentioned and it's FANTASTIC!
Don't want to wait for it to mature - it's wonderful already! Going to have to do several more jars of it, with some to eat fresh...
moonbells
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snap MB, delish and fresh tasting straight outta the pan :P ::)
thank you Dixie, that one's in our family cookbook now :)
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Doing the beetrood and apple tonight only trouble is only have one jar.
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Doing the beetrood and apple tonight only trouble is only have one jar.
One quantity filled two of those barrel-shaped 800g sauerkraut jars!
If you only have one jar (depending on size!) then I recommend halving the quantities! Or just eating it...
moonbells
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Eating it sounds pretty good to me
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Well did the beetroot and apple thingy last night and it went somthing like this.
Jars - only got one, empty that mayo jar also.
Sterilize - seem to remember something about this. Bung em in the dishwasher on number 1
2lbs beetroot and 12 oz apple - erm no scales, ask 'im in doors what he thinks. No idea.
12oz sugar - same thing, look in cupboard, not enough sugar send 'im in doors to shop.
12oz white vinegar - ha ha know this one, have got a measuring jug.
Mixed spice - muslim??? old hanky of 'im in doors tied in a knot.
Off we jolly well go. Boil the beet. Peel. Very red hands. Peel apples and follow instuctions to the letter. Had some beet left over so sliced them into white spiced vinegar for 'im in doors.
Well the outcome was pretty good. 2 jars of the stuff. Bit sweeter than I thought, remember no scales. That must be the answer. Brought some today with pate and french bread for lunch
Pickled beet lasted about half an hour, 'e had it with his lancashire hotpot I made for tea.
Well very pleased with myself. I have never attempted anything like this before and shall try again. I don't think mine will last though being in just jars. Will let you know. ;D ;D ;D
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LOL enjoyed that a lot daisy, hope im indoors is well content! ;D
I need some new scales, what did you get ::)
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Thank you supersprout. I have never had any scales. I do a lot of cooking but never baking or preserving or similar so have never had the need. Might invest in some. Will ask google about preserving, jars, sterilising etc and have another go.
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Lots of info here, moonbells has been doing some digging and found a very good site on canning and bottling etc. :D
http://www.allotments4all.co.uk/joomla/component/option,com_smf/Itemid,91/topic,23765.0
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Echoing an earlier entry. I just put the beets in a plastic bin and covered them in soil. They kept all Winter even when it was frosty. I just kept them in my shed.
Also in Spring I take out the biggest two or three and replant them. They then go on to produce seeds in late Summer.
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useful thread, as I have two giant cooking apples and some beetroot to use up!
My fav recipe is this:
5-6 beetroot, boiled, peeled and diced.
1 small onion, diced
8-10 fresh sage leaves, sliced
1TBL olive oil/butter
2-3 TBL yogurt/creme fraiche
saute onion in olive oil until soft, then add sage leaves. Let cook a few minutes. Add beetroot, heat through (if cold). Turn heat off and stir in yogurt (creme fraiche is less likely to curdle and can stand heat, but yogurt will get lumpy if you don't turn the heat off)
Serve as a side dish or dump over pasta. I tend to eat most of my beetroots this way. Also, steam the beetroot tops if they're tender enough and eat those as greens. Yummm.
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5-6 beetroot? Yikes, if I did that with the cylindra, I'd be eating it (and the rest...!) for weeks!
moonbells ;D ;D ;D ;D
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did you rate the taste of cylindra moonbells? :)