Food Friday: Quick and Easy Pickled Beets

Beets have never been my favorite vegetable.  I do remember my mother making Harvard Beets with tiny new beets when we were young. I did like those, but that was where I drew the line for many years.  Recently I learned that beets have some very good-for-you nutrients in them, though I cannot tell you right now what those nutrients are.

Since then I have been trying to eat beets from time to time.  The best beets I have eaten were pickled beets in the salad bar at Godfather's Pizza on Cornelius Pass.  Because these were surprisingly good, when I found that you can make pickled beets at home, and in the refrigerator, I thought I would give them a try.

This is what I did:

Quick and Easy Pickled Beets in the Refrigerator

2 15-ounce cans sliced beets
1 cup white vinegar
1 cup water
1 teaspoon stone ground mustard with whole mustard seeds visible
1 Tablespoon kosher salt
2 small peeled garlic cloves

Drain the beets.

Place the garlic cloves and mustard in a 1-quart wide mouth Mason jar.

In a 4 cup measuring cup, mix together the vinegar, water, and salt and stir well.

Place the drained beet slices in the quart jar.  Pour the vinegar mixture over the slices, leaving about 1/2 inch space at the top. 

Cover with the lid and gently shake the jar until you think that the liquid has gotten to all the beets.  Place in the refrigerator for at least 24 hour or better yet, 48 hours.

For myself,  I let them pickle for four days before trying them.  Not bad, but it is a pretty good bet that I failed to put in the Kosher salt.  Oh, well, I can salt them as I eat them if I feel strongly enough about the saltiness issue.  Right now I would find them fine to eat with my breakfast baked potato, which is what I plan for tomorrow morning's breakfast....I want to use up the last little potatoes, and maybe a spring roll with peanut sauce (which was fabulous, if I do say so myself) which I made for the office potluck lunch earlier this week. 

There you have it:  Quick and Easy Refrigerator Pickled Beets.