Cornersmith’s pickled beetroot

We pickled our own beetroot last week for the HalloweenFete… As long as your jars & lids are scrupulously clean and sterilised, the beautiful jars should last for ages! Not that our fete jars did however…

Fresh from the garden: beetroot
Recipe source: Alex and Jamie at Cornersmith Café, Marrickville

 What to do:

• Preheat the oven to 140C.
• Wash the beets.  Trim off the leaves for another use.  Weigh the beetroot – you’ll need about 3kg. Peel the beets and add peels to compost.
• Very thinly slice the beets using the blade attachment on the food processor.  (You could also use a large knife or a mandolin.)
• Wash the jars and lids in hot soapy water, rinse well and drain upside down.
• Place all the jars onto an oven tray, right side up, and slide into the oven to sterilize for 15 mins.
• Dry lids with a clean piece of paper towel.
• In a saucepan put vinegar, salt, water, sugar, peppercorns and dill. Gently heat until sugar is dissolved and then slowly bring to the boil.
• Slide the tray of jars out of the oven and then carefully using tongs& an oven mitt, pack the sliced beets in.
• Ladle the hot syrup into a glass jug and then pour over to cover beetroots. Leave a 5mm space at the top.
• Seal immediately and leave to cool. Label when cool.
• Leave to mature for at least a week.  The jars should be kept in a cool, dark place and will last at least 6 months if not a year!
• Refrigerate after opening and eat within a month.

Notes:What other vegetables could we pickle? What other preserves could we make? Why do we sterilize the jars?