Pickled Beets

• 1 10 pound bag of beets

Rinse beets thoroughly.  Do not brush. Only use beets where the tap roots and skins are unbroken. Cut stems to within 1 inch of beets.

Place beets in a large pot. Pour water over to cover beets by 2 inches. Heat to a boil, reduce heat then cover and simmer 30 to 45 minutes or until tender.

Drain, allow beets are cool enough to handle, then slip off skins. If the skins won’t come off, a potato peeler works well to peel.

Slice big beets into rounds so that the pretty circles inside show, or leave beets whole if small.

Pickling Solution

• 3 cups sugar
• 3 cups vinegar
• 1 cup water
• 2 tbsp. pickling salt
• 4 tablespoons celery seed ***
• 4 tablespoons whole allspice ***
• 1 small piece cinnamon stick (optional) ***

*** Tie in a spice bag

Heat pickling solution until little bubbles appear around edge of the pot. Pack beets into hot, sterilized jars, then pour the hot pickling solution over beets, leaving ¼” headspace.  Wipe jar rims with clean cloth dipped in boiling water, then seal with canning lids and  process for 20 minutes in a canning kettle.

Green Tomato Chutney

• 5 pounds green tomatoes
• ¼ cup coarse salt
• 2 large red onions, sliced
• ½ bunch celery, diced
• 1½ cup finely chopped green cabbage
• 1½ cup white vinegar
• 1½ cups sugar
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• ½ teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon allspice
• ¼ teaspoon cayenne

Wash and slice the tomatoes. Place in a glass or metal bowl. Sprinkle with coarse salt. Let sit overnight in a warm place.

The next morning, pour into a sieve and drain 2 to 3 hours.

Put the tomatoes in a large pot with the drained tomatoes, onions, celery, green cabbage and the rest of the ingredients.

Gently boil for 40-50 minutes, until the celery is soft. Pour hot sterilized jars and process for 20 minutes.