Mmmm...Smell that?

It's the smell of pickled beets wafting from my kitchen.  We love us some pickled beets in this family (not the kind you can buy at the store...the homegrown kind).  My mom has even been known to give us jars of them for Christmas.

Beets...if you haven't tried them before, you're probably turned off just by the idea of them.  And if you have tried them before, you may have thought they tasted like dirt, depending on how they were prepared.  It is true, they can be a bit "earthy" in flavor, but trust me, if you haven't liked them before, you owe them a second chance.  For one thing, there aren't many fruits or veggies that are that deep red in color all the way through...you know that means they are super good for you!  And secondly, a pickled beet doesn't taste at all like dirt.

I didn't think to take photos throughout the process, but here is the end result.  We will probably finish these off in a day or two, but wowsers, this was all I could afford to buy at the Farmer's Market last weekend.  Maybe I'm just cheap.  I know they were worth every penny and I like supporting local farmers and all, but it was torturous to pay $4 for eight or nine beets, knowing how abundantly my parents grow them (or have in the past...they claimed to have downsized the garden a bit this year).

So, anyway, if you're intrigued to try them, below is the recipe.  It is meant to be a canning recipe, but I simply cut in in fourth for my small quantity and instead of the hot water bath, I boiled the peeled and sliced beets in the syrup for about 10 minutes...

PICKLED BEETS
Select small, young beets.  Wash.  Leave 3 inches of tops on and roots.  Boil until skins slip off easily (15-20 minutes).  Put into cold water.  Remove skins, tops, and roots.  Cut beets into slices.
Syrup:
2 c. sugar
2 c. water
2 c. apple cider vinegar
1 t. cloves
1 t. allspice
1 t. cinnamon
Pack beets into jars to within 1/2 inch of top.  Pour boiling syrup over beets to within 1/2 inch of top of jar.  Process 30 minutes in boiling water bath.