<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_0mNacsCO8PI/SwQpJSs229I/AAAAAAAAACs/rIA8bOQnOuw/s1600/beets+045.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_0mNacsCO8PI/SwQpJSs229I/AAAAAAAAACs/rIA8bOQnOuw/s320/beets+045.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5405490692366982098" /></a><br />Check out my recipe for pickled beets from today's Boston Globe!<br /><br />Makes 2 quarts<br /><br />Pickled beets are often too sweet (think Harvard beets, which are cloying) or too sour (19th-century New England cooking school teacher Fannie Farmer preserved hers with nothing more than distilled vinegar). The key to pickling beets is the right balance. Boil the brine in a stainless steel or ceramic-lined pot; avoid aluminum as it will cause off flavors. For long-term pantry storage, boiling water processing is necessary; visit the National Center for Home Food Processing at www.uga.edu/nchfp for more details. However, you can still make the beets without the rigmarole of the canning process; store them in the refrigerator; these beets will last up to 1 month on a fridge shelf. And while you may be tempted, wait at least a week for the flavors to marry. Then spoon them beside slices of cold roast turkey.<br />  <br />2  bunches beets, trimmed at both ends <br />2  cups cider vinegar <br />1  cup bottled water <br />1/3  cup brown sugar <br />1/3  cup granulated sugar <br />1  tablespoon salt <br />1/2  cinnamon stick, broken in half <br />5  whole cloves <br />1  teaspoon allspice berries <br />2  thin slices fresh ginger root <br />2  teaspoons whole black peppercorns <br /><br />1. Have on hand two 1-quart canning jars or smaller jars that equal that amount. Rinse them with boiling water.<br /><br />2. In a large pot, combine beets with cold water to cover them. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and cover the pan. Let them bubble gently for 1 hour or until tender. Replenish water as needed.<br /><br />3. Drain the beets into a colander. Rinse under cold running water until cool enough to handle.<br /><br />4. Working over a plate, remove and discard the skins from the beets. Cut the beets into 1/2-inch dice. Place beets in jars, leaving enough room for brine. Set the jars on a wooden board.<br /><br />5. In a nonreactive pot, combine cider vinegar, water, brown and granulated sugar, salt, cinnamon stick, cloves, allspice berries, ginger, and black peppercorns. Bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve sugars. Remove from heat and ladle over beets while the liquid is still hot. Screw on the lids.<br /><br />6. Cool jars to room temperature and store in refrigerator.<br /><br />http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/food/articles/2009/11/18/pickled_beets_recipe/