This may be the only time I can red beets

We like beets. We may not eat them every week of the year, but we have them at least once a month. I tried to grow beets last fall, and while the tops were gorgeous, the plants didn't actually form beets. I decided to forego trying to grow them - for now - and buy beets. Luckily, we have several wonderful farm markets and orchards mere miles from home. 

Yesterday, the lady at one of the small farm markets called to say she had a bushel of beets. I hopped into the pickup and went to see what she had. I was a bit disappointed in the quality, but she made up for the fact the beets had been cut by either a plow or shovel during harvesting by slashing the price considerably. It pays to be on good terms with people. I also suspect the "half a bushel" I took held more than that.  

Home processing beets is very labor intensive. The beets need to be washed, boiled, chilled in cold water so the skin slides off, peeled and trimmed, sliced and/or diced, and reheated. Only then may the hot beets go into a hot jar and the jar into a hot canner. I may never can beets again unless I manage to grow my own and can carefully harvest them without creating blemishes. Quite a bit went in the bucket for the woodland critters. But I still ended up with twenty-six pints which will do us around two years. Every jar sealed. 

It was a good day's work. 

The Lady of the Hideaway

Holly Tree Manor, The Hideaway, home food processing, canning beets, gardening, a writer's life, rural living, country lifestyle, farmer's market, labor-intensive job