Bottling young beetroot

Press, 27 February 1980, Page 20

Bottling young beetroot

ALISON HOLST KITCHEN DIARY

You can bottle beetroot using the overflow method

as long as you put them in a vinegary liquid. However, if you dilute the vinegar too much, or pack the beetroot so closely that there is little room for liquid between the slices, you will have to process the bottles in a water bath.

You should bottle beetroot while it is young, when the slices will be tender and crisp. This is usually during the hottest part of the summer. It is important to remem’ r that beetroot will spoil quickly after cooking, before the vinegar is added to it, so always plan to d i the whole process at once — sliced boiled beetroot, left overnight, may become slimy and ppil. Cut the leaves from the beets, leaving Icm to 2cm of stalk above the root. Do not cut off the long

thin root below the beet

If you cut closer to the beet it lose., colour during the preliminary boiling. Scrub the roots so they are fairly free of soil, but do not peel them. Put them in a large saucepan, ..coyer with water, and simmer until a large beet feels tender when pierced with a sharp knife, and its skin comes off easily when it is held under the cold tap. The cooking time may vary from 15 minutes to one hour, depending on

the size and maturity of

the beet. Drain off the boiling water and replace it with cold water. As soon as the beets are cool enough to handle you should be able to squeeze the beets and remove their skins easily, by hand. Slice the beetroot evenly and put them in a saucepan with pickling liquid made up according to the following proportions. Inredients: 1 cup malt vinegar

i cup water } t'- J cup sugar teaspoons salt 1 to 4 cloves (optional) 1 bayleaf (optional) Ito 2 cloves garlic (optional) This amount of liquid will fill one litre (quart) preserving jar. About 500 g cooked sliced beetroot will fit into a jar this size. Bring the sliced beetroot, and the above ingredients, to the boil. Vary the quantity

of sugar according to taste and the sweetness of the beat. Ladle the boiling mixture into cleaned, oven-heated preserving jars. Fill to overflowing, top with pre-boiled seal, then screw band on tightly. NOTE: Do not pack cool beet in jars then fill with boiling liquid, unless you are planning to rocess jars in a water bath after sealing them.