When I think of my grandmother’s lessons on spices, one recipe that really stands out is her old fashioned pickled beets! She would take a few simple ingredients and basic foods and produce the most amazing results! Often showing me how to make a batch of pickled eggs by reusing the pickled beet brine, and let me tell you nothing can jazz up a salad faster than pickled eggs! When it came to pickled goodies, jars that came out of grandma’s kitchen were definitely highly sought-after!

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But before you envision a red version of dill pickles, let me explain that this post is not about learning to master the art of making pickles. Pickles get their name from the brine in which they are canned, but instead of calling them pickled cucumbers people often shorten it to pickles. Many people find it surprising, but quite a few items can be pickled. These range from fish and eggs to asparagus, and cauliflower and even garlic and jalapenos!

Mastering the skill of making a spiced pickling brine is much easier than you would imagine. Just a few basic ingredients and a little imagination can create a masterpiece of flavor. With different foods you will want a different flavor emphasis and therefore the proportions of items like water, vinegar and either salt or sugar will vary. We are going to use my grandmother’s picked beet recipe to begin our journey exploring spiced brines. So get ready to make some delicious pickled beets and pickled eggs, or whatever else your stomach is craving to try!

Grandma’s old fashioned recipe it is still a family favorite due to its amazing versatility. To make pickled beets or eggs you will need beets or eggs and a pickling brine. The brine we are using is considered a sweet brine and contains a sweetener instead of the salt you would use when making a salty brine for a savory dish like dill pickles. This brine is a combination of water, vinegar, a sweetener, and spices and/or herbs. It is astonishingly easy to tweak to your own taste preferences by simply varying the type of sweetener, vinegar and spices used. The combinations of both subtle tones and bold flavor statements possible with this dish are truly limitless. This versatility is also great when you start cooking and realize too late that you are out of a particular ingredient. No problem, this recipe is very forgiving producing good results with several easy to swap substitutions.

Vinegars:

If you are making a classic 20th century pickled beets, go with distilled white vinegar. If you desire a more complex full-bodied brine, choose apple cider vinegar. (In this case it pays to read labels. When shopping for vinegar recently, I was amazed to find a local store claiming to sell apple cider vinegar, but upon inspection of the ingredients, I discovered it was distilled white vinegar with “apple” flavoring added!) Imitations are not mere substitutions and will not create the same flavor profiles as the true ingredients. Unfortunately, poor quality ingredients also tend to lead to ‘what happened’ with this recipe moments. For those wanting a fruity flavor profile, use a raspberry or pomegranate balsamic vinegar. Although I use standard balsamic vinegar in my cooking, I have never tired pickling with it. Therefore if you choose to use a basic balsamic vinegar, go for it, but you are on your own!

Sweeteners:

When it comes to sweeteners, I have used several types with great success. This list has included honey, pure maple syrup, homemade spiced maple syrups, brown sugar and white sugar. Each one gives a different appeal and flavor profile when making a brine. For the classic taste use white sugar, for a healthier alternative honey or pure maple syrup is preferable. I have not tried making a spiced brine with Stevia leaves, so I can not comment on this option.

Spices and Herbs:

While is it possible to make old fashioned pickled eggs or beets without any spices or herbs, these elements add a richness of flavor that is truly out of this world. Mixing the tang of the vinegar, the earthy goodness of the beets and the satisfying sweetness of your chosen sweetener, with both the vibrancy of the spice or herbal flavors and the bold color of the beets makes a dish with both amazing visual and flavor appeal! There is not just one “right” combination of spices to use in pickled beets or eggs. I have several favorites that I vary throughout the year. During the holidays, my pickled goodies come alive with the sweet and spicy warmth of cinnamon and cloves. While to add depth to everyday meals, I use the pungent woody warmth of a more complex mixture: allspice, bay leaves, cinnamon, cloves and peppercorns.

Here is Grandma’s basic recipe for refrigerator sweet pickled eggs or beets.

First decide if you would like to make pickled beets or pickled eggs or both. You can make the pickled beets first and reuse the brine to make a batch of pickled eggs, or make both from the very beginning. 🙂

Ingredients:

4-6 fresh beets depending on the size used (feel free to use any variety of beet)
6-8 hard boiled eggs depending on size

1 cup of water
1 cup of vinegar of your choice
1 cup sweetener (unless using honey then only a 1/2 cup)
3 cinnamon sticks
2 whole cloves
3 bay leaves (optional)
5 whole allspice (optional)
4 whole peppercorns (optional)
1 large onion (optional)

Directions:

Note: When making pickled beets, I often choose NOT to peel my beets because I feel the skins provide additional nutrition not found elsewhere in the beet. If you wish to peel them first, here are the some basic methods.

 

Option 1. Place your beets in a roaster or similar covered baking dish with a splash of water at 450°F
for about 50-60 min. The skins they should slip off easily and with minimal mess. The warmer the beet is the easiest it will be to peel, but be careful not to burn your hands. Rushing matters and trying to peel the beets too quickly after removing them from the oven can result in burns.

Option 2. Place the beets in a pan of water and boil for 20-30 minutes or until the peels come off easily when pierced with a knife. The beets should be tender but still a touch firm. Drain and cool with cold/ice water before peeling. This method is not temperature sensitive. The peels will come off easily even when cold, making it great for busy moms, young helpers and those with temperature sensing issues in their hands.

Regardless of whether you choose to peel them or not, the beets will need to be cooked. Cooking time will depend on the size of beets you use, this applies to both roasting and boiling the beets. After they are cool enough to handle the easiest way to peel them is by simply “rubbing” the skin off with your thumbs. You can use gloves for this step if you prefer, I find by just rinsing my hands every so often I am able to avoid any staining on my skin.

 

While your beets are either roasting or boiling, mix together the spiced sweet brine ingredients in a medium saucepan.

 

Once done, trim the beets. Small beets can be left whole, larger beets should be sliced or diced. Place your beets in a glass jar and set aside until the brine is completed. Because these are refrigerator beets, you can re-use a large commercial glass jar like a pickle jar, a true canning jar is not required. Other family favorite variations include adding sliced onions to the jars. For some great tips on tear-free onion slicing check out our post –> Easy Gluten and Dairy Free, Vegan, Homemade French Fried Onion Rings

If you would like to make pickled eggs, simply hard boil the eggs and peel. Pack into desired jar with or without onions. No, I’m not an expert egg peeler, I have just found the secret to perfect eggs every time using my Instapot! I use the 5-5-5-5 method when cooking them. Start with a cup of cold water and eggs in your Instapot, then program to pressure cook on high for 5min. My 5-5-5-5 is as follows:

• 5 min. to pressure
• 5 min. cooking
• 5 min. self release pressure
• 5 min. in cold water bath

Turn on the saucepan and bring your spiced pickling brine to a rapid boil. Boil for about 3 minutes until spices have started to lend their flavors to the brine and the sweetener has fully dissolved. Pour your brine over the prepared beets or eggs and add the lid. For an added artificial-free coloring, just add in a few slices of beets to your brine when boiling before pouring it over the eggs. Allow the jar to cool slightly before placing in the refrigerator. (There is no reason to waste energy by placing a boiling hot jar in the refrigerator!) Your eggs or beets will need to marinate for a minimum of 24 hours. Then simply ENJOY!

Note: The longer you let the eggs marinate in the brine the deeper the color and flavor will penetrate the eggs.

Our family’s favorite way to eat these old fashioned goodies is straight out of the jar. My husband enjoys eating both his pickled eggs and pickled beets this way although I prefer my eggs in a salad. Both pickled beets and eggs also make a great garnish or side to many dishes, adding both flavor and color as well as nutrition. Thinly sliced or julienned beets can give a bright burst of flavor to many a raw veggie salad as well.

Have lots of beets to preserve or find your refrigerator too small for practical application of the refrigerator method? This recipe is easily canned, and the whole spices add a lot of visual appeal to your finished jars. Although onions can still be included if desired, it is best to avoid any other additions. Foods like eggs require special processing and therefore are best done as refrigerated foods.

The following is a quick “how to” explanation for water bath canning your pickled beets. Prep and sterilize your jars, lids, and rings, add your beets either whole, if small, or cubed. Slicing is best avoided with canning beets because the slices tend to stick together, limiting the brine’s ability to flow properly. This limitation may effect both the flavor quality and the processing safety in some cases. If you still choose to slice, the best advice I can give is try not to over pack your jars.

Pour the boiling brine mixture over beets making sure to leave a half inch head space on the top of the jar. Wipe rims and add your lids and rings. Place in water bath canner and fill until water covers jars by at least an inch. Bring to a boil and processes for 20 minutes.

Four pounds of beets normally makes around six pints of pickled beets, depending on how tightly the food is packed in the jars. You will need to at least double the brine recipe. The exact amount of brine needed will also depend on how tightly you packed your jars.

 

I hope this information will take some of the mystery out of making spiced sweet brines and help you master the skill of making a spiced pickling brine. My grandmother loved sharing her culinary creations with guests and encouraged a legacy of helping others. Enjoy her recipe and find someone, as Grandma always said, “To share the blessings with.” Whether with family, friends or co-workers, sharing the product of your newly learned skill spreads the blessings of your learning experience to others. You never know, seeing your exploration might inspire someone else to try something new!

Dig in, because I find Grandma’s delicious, old fashioned pickled eggs and beets often seem to disappear mysteriously by themselves! 😉

Enjoying the taste and memories from Grandma’s kitchen, the Homesteading Hen

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