Yesterday I harvested the last two rows of beets in the garden.  I had planted a good bit of beets specifically for making pickled beets. Y'all might know them as Harvard Beets as well.

Our favorite way to have beets is pickled so I thought I'd share the process with all of you. 




If  you've never worked with beets then I'm warning you, they are MESSY! I do as much of my work with them as possible outside, wearing old cloths with the hose nearby.

First, you need to cut off the greens. Some folks save beet greens but I personally don't care for them and would much rather have Swiss Chard! So I hack the greens off and toss them on the compost.

 

Next, they need washed.  This is where the hose comes into play. It helps if the beets are laying on a slotted surface like the picnic table!

 


Now, cut off all the tails and trim off the rough skin around the top.  Toss the tails onto the compost.  Be wary of the beet juice. 

 

Now, before heading inside use the hose to clean up your hands and knife... unless you don't mind beet juice hand prints on your doors!  Once inside, wash them all again.



For this next step a food processor is a great blessing. I use my Mom's old Cuisinart food processor with a #8 blade for slicing my beets. Be sure to quarter the bigger beets before slicing them.