Recipe(tried): Pickled Beets

PICKLED BEETS
Yield: About 8 pints

7 lbs of 2- to 2-1/2-inch diameter beets
4 cups vinegar (5 percent)
1 1/2 teaspoons canning or pickling salt
2 cups sugar
2 cups water
2 cinnamon sticks
12 whole cloves
4 to 6 onions (2- to 2-1/2-inch diameter) if desired

Trim off beet tops, leaving 1 inch of stem and roots to prevent bleeding of color. Wash thoroughly. Sort for size. Cover similar sizes together with boiling water and cook until tender (about 25 to 30 minutes). Caution: Drain and discard liquid.

Cool beets. Trim off roots and stems and slip off skins. Slice into 1/4-inch slices.

Peel and thinly slice onions.

Combine vinegar, salt, sugar, and fresh water. Put spices in cheesecloth bag and add to vinegar mixture. Bring to a boil.

Add beets and onions. Simmer 5 minutes.

Remove spice bag. Fill jars with beets and onions, leaving 1/2-inch headspace. Add hot vinegar solution, allowing 1/2-inch headspace.

Adjust lids and process in a boiling water bath for 30 minutes.