Kitchen Garden Forum

My sonpickled beetroot last year, but when he opened it recently, he said it was too vinigary(?) He used pickling vinager. Any ideas where he went wrong?

Probably a daft question but did he add any sugar to the vinegar. Did not add any myself the first time I did it and had what you describe, another lesson learnt the hard way.
Arthur

Bore da Submariner

We make a lot of chutneys, so are used to using vinegar and sugar together. We prefer to eat beetroot fresh, baked or juiced raw.

These two look like good ideas to avoid vinegary pickle:

http://vegbox-recipes.co.uk/recipes/bee ... cipe-5.php

and

http://www.deliaonline.com/recipes/pick ... 09,RC.html

Personally I would always use wine or cider vinegar. Good malt vinegar is great but avoid most which is "non-brewed condiment" (i.e. Fish-shop vinegar)

Alan

Thank you all. I will pass the info on to him. Incidentally, I now know what was wrong years ago to my pickled beetroot!!

beetroot is good cooked chopped into small chunks put in jars with orange jelly made with white vinegar I don't know how long it keeps I have kept it for about a month in the fridge

I think beetroot should be eaten within 3-4 months of pickling. The longer you keep it the more vinegar it will absorb.
Small beets pickled whole will last loner without getting too vinegary.

Beryl.

Dear Submariner,
the main thing is that pickling vinegar contains spices and is usually used for strong veg such as onions or gherkins which need all the help they can get. Beetroot has a delicate sweet earthy taste and should not be submerged in the paint stripper that masquerades for commercial pickling vinegar.
My tips for a better product include.
Always boil on the day of picking and use lush fast growing beets. From September onwards they are not very good for pickling and are best frozen, made into soup or stored in sand for winter use.
Use a slicer for even slices and not too thin, 7mm is plenty thin enough.
Do not allow the beets to go cold and pack with hot vinegar. Then place the jars in an oven at just under 100 centigrade for about 1 hour before sealing down.
If you are re-using jars only use jars that have contained pickles, pesto, mayo or other sour ingredients. I find that the rubber seals on jam jars will rust out and become rather unwholesome after a few months as the sealant is not as robust as the pickle jars.
My personal vinegar mix for beets is 1 and 1/4 pints of normal brown vinegar, 1/2 a pint of white and 1/4 pint of balsamic vinegar. Now this may sound an expensive mix but if the jars are packed well then it will usually do around 6 1lb jars. I also get the cheapest balsamic that the supermarket has to offer. There are lots of different vinegars on the market and it costs very little to experiment.
My personal opinion is that you are trying to make something you have grown yourself into a product that is something different and a little bit special so it deserves that little bit extra.
Regards Sally Wright.

Oh dear! I've been pickling beetroot for the last 15 years with malt vinegar and no other spices, sugar or mixes of vinegars. My dad, and everyone else who eats them think they are delicious!! Oh well, if he likes them, I'll continue to do it the same way!!

The secret is in the vinegar-cold spice a good malt vinegar-put the spices of your choice into the malt and leave for at least three months. Strain off and rebottle the vinegar. You can use after this but it tastes better with age-you can pickle just about any veg or fruit in it- it tastes superb.Store in a cool dark place for as many years as you can. After three years boil it up to pastuerise, cool and use.