Joyce asks:
Today, I made beet pickles. After cooking, peeling and slicing the beets, I put them in the pot with the prepared brine of sugar and vinegar. Now the question: the recipe said that the brine should have an “oily” appearance. It did not, could you tell me why?
Thanks, Joyce
Joyce,
Pickled Veggies
When I do my pickled beets I cook and peel the beets and then place them in the jars warm. After my jars are filled I pour the hot pickling liquid over them in the jar.
I have not noticed an oily appearance…. but then again I have not really been looking for it either.
I don’t know what recipe you are following. You probably want to double check the ratio of vinegar and water in your liquid. I also recommend using a tested recipe from either the Ball Blue Book or any state extension website.
Hope that helps!
Hi Sharon, our garden has TONS of beets, so I’m going to can them next week. My husband and daughter don’t like them pickled, so I’m just going to can them plain. My question: is it ok to use sea salt instead of canning salt, or should I just leave the salt out? Sea salt is all I’ve used for years (Redmon’s RealSalt). I’d rather not use something that’s overly-processed, and I’m assuming canning salt is. Thanks!
Hi Trudy, yes you can use sea salt instead of canning salt. Regular salt has lots of fillers, that is why it is not good for canning. I’ve not used sea salt but I’m under the impression that it also would not have a bunch of fillers. So you should be good to go!
Here is a page on canning beets just in case you need it.
Canning Beets
Thanks so much for the quick reply. A pressure canner is at the top of my “gotta get” list, but my mom is loaning me her Mirro pressure canner for the time being. I’ve never pressure canned before so I’m a little nervous, but still looking forward to doing this. If all goes well, I’m planning on canning some spaghetti sauce next before I have to give her the canner back! Thanks again!
Trudi, I read something that I thought you should know.
According to a new canning book that I just bought, (Canning and Preserving Without Sugar) Sea salt does have “chemicals other than sodium chloride, and is not a good choice for pickling”.
However, Kosher salt is a good salt for pickling.
Sorry for any misinformation!
Sharon
Glad I checked back on your blog! I’m cooking the beets now. Fortunately I also have some Kosher salt — I bought it just to have on hand but never used it. Actually, I never add salt to plain vegetables while cooking, and other than maybe potatoes, don’t add salt after cooking. I keep seeing that salt is optional in recipes for canning plain, unseasoned vegetables. Does it really add much to the flavor? I’m wondering if I should just skip it or if it really does make a difference. Thanks again!
We do use salt, so I’ve always added it.
But you are right is is optional. If you don’t normally use it, why don’t you can half of what you have without salt and half with. Then do a taste comparison.
Ok–I’m popping back over to beets!
I just took my jars out of the canner (did pints). The water in the canner is pink and a couple of my jars lost about 1/2″ – 1″ of water, so I know liquid leaked out. The beets are also much lighter in color and the water in the jars is lighter than when I put the jars in. Is this normal or did I do something wrong? Also, should I use the jars first that lost liquid, and is their shelf life shorter?
You are canning beets not picking right? If so, then yes you will loose some color when you process the beets. It is unfortunately unavoidable.
Yes I’d use the ones that lost liquid first… but really it is also very common. Unless it is extreme, (your jars are almost empty) it will not hurt anything. Shelf life is the same.
Here are some pages where I talk about liquid loss in canning.
Liquid Loss while home canning food
Sometimes liquid is lost during processing. This might mean you had incorrect head space. Or possibly you did not get out air bubbles before putting on the …
Liquid loss in Jars – Simply Canning Home
Help!!! It seems every time I pressure can I am losing nearly half of my liquid. The jars come out only two thirds full. What am I doing wrong? I have.
http://www.simplycanning.com/liquid-loss-in-jars.html
Thanks Sharon. Probably should have checked your website first before contacting you. The jars were still bubbling quite a bit when I took them out of the canner. I’ll wait longer on the next batch. It’s getting close to dinner time and I wanted to get the 2nd batch going, so I might not have waited long enough. The worst one is down a little over an inch (not quite a third of the way down), so it sounds like it’s ok. Thanks!