Deep Flavors by Kenneth M. Horwitz

First, you have to have immaculately clean jars and lids. Do not reuse a lid that has

previously been used (that is, the portion of the lid that has the seal on it). With respect to the

screw part of the lid, you should make sure that it is clean and rust-free. You can buy lids,

which are not reusable, in separate packages, as well as the screw tops, which are reusable. It

is a good idea to fill jars with water and put them in a canning pot full of water so that the jars

are covered by at least . an inch or so of water. Boil until the jars are fully sterilized. Boil the

screw tops (but not the lids) at the same time. The flat portion of the lid that has the seal on

it should not be boiled because the seal could be ruined, but it should be washed and rinsed

carefully with soap and hot water.

Using canning tongs, lift out the jars, and let the hot water drain back into the pot.

Canning tongs are very inexpensive special tongs designed to lift jars out of the boiling water.

There is no reason to risk handling hot, heavy jars with a pair of tongs that are not designed

for this purpose. Put the clean, boiled jars down on a clean towel on your countertop and

remove the metal screw tops from the pot in which you boiled the jars. Leave the water in the

canning pot to stay hot.

The beets need to be carefully washed and the leaves removed, leaving about . an inch

of stem stubble on the leaf end of the beet. Cut off the root, leaving ½ an inch to 1 inch of

root. Simmer the beets in plain, unsalted water until just barely cooked enough to slip the

skins off of the beets. Depending on the size of the beet, this could take 20 to 45 minutes.

You will have to test the beets with a thin skewer or knife and judge exactly when the beet is

just cooked and ready to have the skins stripped off. The easiest way to remove the skin is to

hold the beet under running water and to rub the skin off with your fingers. The beet itself

will still be fairly hard and not fully cooked through. If you have some very small beets out

of your garden, they will cook faster than larger beets and should be put into the simmering

beet liquid after the larger beets have cooked for a short period of time. Dispose of the water

that was used for simmering the beets.

After the skins are removed, cut the beets into desired shapes and sizes, leaving very small

beets whole but cutting larger beets into slices or quarters. Put the beets directly into the

jars with onion slices and garlic cloves, filling as tightly as possible. You could, of course, use

whole, small, peeled onions. Finally, after the jars are filled with onions, beets, and garlic, you

will need to fill the jars with a hot pickling liquid prepared in the following proportions.

For the pickling liquid:

For 8 pints of beets, you can estimate that you will use at least 6 or 7 recipes of the

pickling mixture. Make extra; it is cheap, and you can dispose of the excess, or you can use it

for easy Refrigerator Cucumber Pickles (Chapter 7). The pickling mixture should be put in a

stainless steel–lined pot and brought to a boil immediately prior to filling the jars. You should

use a funnel with a very large opening at the bottom designed to fit within the pickling jars so

that you do not make a mess on your counter as you are pouring the liquid into the jars. As

with the canning tongs, this funnel is very cheap.

After you ladle the hot liquid over the beets, leaving at least . an inch headspace, jiggle

the jars to remove air bubbles and to readjust the liquid level before sealing. The open space

between the jar contents and the lid is critical to the creation of a vacuum for safe storage.

Wipe the edges of the jar with a clean, moistened paper towel. Screw on the jar lids,

tightening only to light hand pressure. It is not necessary or desirable to overtighten, although

the fit should be firm. Place the jars carefully into the same canning pot in which you sterilized

the jars, using the same already hot (actively boiling) water. Using the canning tongs, place

the jars in the pot so that they do not tip over. The liquid in the pot will now be at least 1–2

inches over the top of the jars. The pot should be brought to and maintained at a rolling boil

and should be covered. Process for at least 15 minutes. To be ultrasafe, I process longer than

the time specified in the Ball Blue Book.

After 15 minutes of boiling the filled and sealed jars, lift the jars out of the canning pot

with the special tongs, and carefully place them on a board to cool. As the jars cool, you will

hear “pops”—this is the top lid sealing to an airtight seal. If a jar does not properly seal, put

it in the refrigerator, and use it first.

Because of the vinegar in the liquid, the product is acidic, and therefore there will be no

opportunity for botulism to form. Botulism is a poison that can be created in an oxygen-free

environment, such as a vacuum-sealed jar that has not been properly processed. Because of

this I process only acidic foods such as pickles and jams and jellies with citrus or vinegar as

part of the fl avor. In addition to botulism, if the product is improperly processed and not

sterilized, the product can spoil and become inedible. If, when you open the jar, there is

obviously no vacuum, and the product appears or smells to be unsavory, or the lid is bulging,

you should dispose of it; it is not safe, and do not taste or eat it.