Pickled Beets Mennonite Style
Ingredients
Small beets
Brine: 1 portion contains 2 cups beet water, 1 cup apple cider vinegar, 3/4 c. sugar 1 Tbl pickling salt, 1 bay leaf and a couple of whole cloves.
Method:
Boil beets for about an hour until they seem done when pricked with a fork.
Sterilize jars and lids in a canner. Place cooked beets in the jars.
Prepare brine. Use the water in which the beets were cooked, add vinegar, salt, and sugar. Bring to a boil, pour over the beets in their jars, add a bay leaf and a couple of whole cloves to the jar. Screw on lids and process for about 20 minutes.
I found that 1 portion of brine was enough for 1 quart of beets.
This is adapted from the "Mennonite Girls Can Cook" cookbook. I think the idea of using the beet water instead of plain water (which most recipes call for) is sheer genius. When I've eaten the beets, I use the beet brine as the basis for a most excellent borscht--the gift that keeps on giving!