This post is really little more than a comedy of errors. I had another recipe in mind for today but that was before forces beyond my control intervened. You see, I was at the farmers market, minding my own business when I came upon the radishes, French breakfast radishes, no less. So, I bought them. Never mind that I was already lugging around a full shopping bag. Exiting the vendor’s stall, I literally bumped into the beets display. WIth my shirt now sporting a mixture of mud and beet juice, I thought it a sign and bought a bunch of large red beets. On the way out of the market, I bought a few more things, filling a 2nd bag, and headed for home.

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Once home, I unpacked my bounty, dreaming of following Roger’s suggestion for buttery radishes and re-creating Mom’s beet salad. And that’s when it hit me. I’d be leaving for Michigan in a few days. I should be subtracting from my refrigerator’s shelves, not adding to them. WIth no possible way to clear my fridge before I was to leave, Plan B was put into effect: food preservation. I’d freeze some and the rest? Well, that’s how today’s pickling post was born and first up were the radishes.

Googling pickled radish recipes, I came upon one from David Lebovitz and looked no further. I’ve had very good luck with his recipes. Unfortunately, I didn’t have any white vinegar — this was a spur of the moment pickle, after all — so I married what I had until I reached the required amount. The radishes turned out great and, subsequently having earned Zia’s seal of approval, I see no reason to change things. The “married” amounts are the ones listed in the recipe’s ingredients.

Next were the beets. I didn’t have my own recipe, so, I again I turned to google. After checking a number of them out, I decided to wing it. The recipe below is the result. There’s one critical error, however. I had intended to use these beets in a salad but I included whole cloves in jars of red shoestring beets. How could anyone find those cloves when it’s time to serve the beets? With 2 jars already filled, I had little choice but to continue with the recipe, adding whole cloves to the remaining jars, watching them disappear into the beets. Since I had promised beets to some friends, I knew I would have to make more. These wouldn’t do.

The Saturday following my return from Michigan, I once again returned to the farmers market and bought 2 bunches of beets. This time I bought Chioggia beets, an Italian variety of heirloom beets with alternating red & white rings when cut. There was no way any cloves could hide among these beauties. Still, I wasn’t going to take any chances. These beets would be sliced rather than shredded. While the beets were roasting, I surfed the web looking at pickling recipes. I stumbled upon a USDA site and their recipe for pickled beets. With some changes, that’s the recipe I used and have shared below.

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Pickled Red “Shoestring” Beets Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 bunch (4 or 5) large red beets, washed and greens removed
• olive oil
• 1 cup (235 ml) cider vinegar
• 1 cup water (237 ml)
• 1/2 cup (100 g) sugar
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 2 cinnamon sticks, halved
• 3 whole cloves per jar

Directions

1. Pre-heat oven to 400˚ (205˚ C).
2. Place washed beets on a foil line baking sheet, cover lightly with olive oil, and use another sheet  of foil to enclose the baking sheet and beets.
3. Place beets in oven and bake for 45 minutes or until a knife can be inserted into a beet with little resistance.
4. Uncover the beets and set aside until cool enough to handle.
5. Beet skins should peel off, though a paring knife may be needed for some spots.
6. Using a food processor with blade inserted, shred the beets created “shoestrings.”
7. Meanwhile, add vinegar, water, salt, and sugar in a small sauce pan and heat until both are dissolved. Keep hot though not boiling.
8. Using 4, sanitized pint-sized jars, add 1 clove and 1/2 stick of cinnamon to each. Add some beets, another clove, enough beets to fill, and one more clove. Add enough of the hot pickling liquid to fill each jar to within 1/2 inch of the jar’s top.
9. Seal each jar until “finger tight” and process in a boiling water bath for 30 minutes, Remove from water and set, undisturbed, on a kitchen towel covered baking sheet in a draft-free spot. Jars may be moved after 24 hours.

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“Quick Pickle” Radishes Recipe

Ingredients

• 9 oz (260 g) radishes, cleaned, trimmed, and sliced thin.  Peel where needed.
• 2 oz (60 g) red onion, sliced thin
• 1 1/3 cup (316 ml) red wine vinegar
• 2/3 cup (157 ml) cider vinegar
• 1 cup water (237 ml)
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1 tbsp kosher salt
• 2 garlic cloves, cut in half
• 24 green peppercorns, divided
• 24 red peppercorns, divided

Directions

1. Add vinegar, water, salt, and sugar in a small sauce pan and heat until both are dissolved. Set aside to cool.
2. Using 4, sanitized, pint-sized jars, add 1/2 garlic clove and 6 of each, red and green peppercorns.
3. Divide the onion and radishes evenly among the jars.
4. Once cooled, pour enough pickling liquid to fill each jar within 1/2 inch of the top. Seal each jar with a sterile lid and refrigerate.

Inspired by David Lebovitz

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Pickled Sliced Chioggia Beets Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 bunches (9 or 10) medium Chioggia beets, washed and greens removed
• olive oil
• 1 medium onion, sliced thin
• 4 cups (950 ml) cider vinegar
• 2 cup water (475 ml)
• 2 cups (400 g) sugar
• 2 tsp kosher salt
• 3 cinnamon sticks
• 10 whole cloves

Directions

1. Pre-heat oven to 400˚ (205˚ C).
2. Place washed beets on a foil line baking sheet, cover lightly with olive oil, and use another sheet  of foil to enclose the baking sheet and beets.
3. Place beets in oven and bake for 45 minutes or until a knife can be inserted into a beet with little resistance.
4. Uncover the beets and set aside until cool enough to handle.
5. Beet skins should peel off, though a paring knife may be needed for some spots.
6. Slice the beets as thin as you prefer.
7. Meanwhile, place cinnamon sticks and cloves into a small pouch or piece of cheese cloth and tie to secure.
8. Place vinegar, water, salt, sugar, and spice bag into a sauce pan and bring to the boil.
9. Add sliced beets and onion, simmering for 5 minutes.
10. Remove the spice bag and fill each jar with enough beets, onion, and pickling liquid to within 1/2 inch of the top.
11. Seal each jar until “finger tight” and process in a boiling water bath for 30 minutes, Remove from water and set, undisturbed, on a kitchen towel covered baking sheet in a draft-free spot. Jars may be moved after 24 hours.

Inspired by National Center for Home Food Preservation

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Notes

The radishes should sit in the refrigerator for a few days before use and they will last about 3 to 4 weeks if kept in the fridge. Both beet pickles are processed and will last for months on a cool, dark shelf. If you like, you can skip the boiling water bath, put a sterile lid on each jar, and refrigerate them. They, too, will last about 3 to 4 weeks this way.

Although I used French breakfast radishes for this post, I’ll use the more common, globe-shaped radishes for future pickles. They’ll produce larger slices, which I prefer.

You needn’t roast the beets before pickling. Many recipes suggest boiling the beets for 20 to 30 minutes before peeling and continuing with the pickling.

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It’s déjà vu all over again …

It’s Summer and people are googling season-appropriate recipes. Pesto was hot but now my giardiniera recipe has caught the internet’s eye. It’s probably because the ingredients are all readily available now, as are reasons for having a jar on-hand. It is barbecue & picnic season, after all, and neither can be a success without a jar of giardiniera handy. You can find out what so many others are googling by simply clicking HERE.

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Coming soon to a monitor near you …

Risotto

Let’s try this again, shall we?

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