AN ABUNDANCE OF BEETROOT
I only grow one crop of beetroot each year in my garden at Das Helwig Haus B&B and usually one packet of seeds will germinate enough seedlings to meet my requirements. Some seed suppliers now provide seed on tape, perfectly spaced for planting and all that is required is that you lay out the tape in rows, cover with soil, press down and keep moist until the seedlings appear. As beetroot have rather a large, rough seed I don’t have any difficulty spacing mine in a shallow furrow. Australians enjoy eating beetroot as a pickled salad vegetable and it is said that Australia is the only country where McDonalds have been obliged to add a slice of pickled beetroot to their hamburgers.
Every spring I plant a crop in my garden at Glen Aplin, harvest that crop in the summer and then spend a couple of days preserving the crop as pickled beetroot.
Boiled Beetroot
The tops are removed from the beetroot, they are placed in a large pot, covered in water and boiled until tender. The time will depend on the size of the beetroot. My crop will provide beetroot of different sizes, so I grade them prior to boiling. When a skewer easily penetrates the beet, it is cooked. Drain and cool.
When the beets are cool it is easy to just slip off the skins with your fingers.
Beetroots after boiling and removal of skins.
Small beetroot may be left whole and filled into any domestic jar with a screw top lid. Larger beetroot may be quartered or sliced before they are filled into jars.
Beetroot are sliced and packed into jars.
Next it is time to prepare the spiced vinegar for pickling.
For every kilo of beetroot, combine 2 cups of sugar and 1 teaspoon of salt with 4 cups of white vinegar and 1 cup of water in a saucepan. Add pickling spice of 3 small dried red chillies, 1 star anise and 6 black peppercorns. Stir over heat until mixture simmers and all the sugar is dissolved. Strain out the spices and pour over the beetroot in the jars until covered. Seal with screw tight lids.
Vinegar, sugar and salt are preservatives. When sealed in airtight jars like these pictured my pickled beetroot lasts a year without spoiling.
Jellied beetroot mold.
Eldorene McIver, my mother-in-law for 25 years, taught me how to make jellied beetroot which has continued to be a favorite with all my family members, and can be easily made either with a can of bought beetroot or a jar of your own preserves.
Drain the beetroot slices and pack into a mold. I use this yellow Tupperware one. Sprinkle two tablespoons of gelatine powder over one cup of cold water, place in a microwave oven and heat until the gelatine is dissolved. Add one cup of the drained beetroot juice. Pour this two cup mixture over the sliced beets. Cover and place in the refrigerator to set. The next day you may pour a little hot water over the mold, invert on a serving plate and lift off the mold form, revealing your jellied beetroot. This is then sliced and when served doesn’t leave runny juice all over the plate. The jelly made from the diluted pickling vinegar is quite tasty. It is an excellent way of serving beetroot as part of a cold buffet meal.
Jellied beetroot.
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