Tis the season to pickle and jar the summer's garden bounty. These pickled beets and onions are both sweet and tangy; there's nothing better than reaching for homemade pickled veg to brighten up your favorite salad, sandwich, or charcuterie board.
Ingredients
10pearl onions
3lbsmall beets
1 ½ cupsapple cider vinegar
¾ cupmaple syrup
¾ cupwater
1teaspoonblack peppercorns
1teaspoonsalt
6wholestar anise
62-inchslices of ginger
Instructions
Sterilize jars by placing the washed jars into a cold oven and then turning the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Leave the jars in the oven for 10 minutes at full heat and then open the oven door and let them cool.
Bring a medium-sized pot of water to a boil and add the pearl onion. Boil them for 5 minutes then use a slotted spoon to remove them - reserve the water. When the onions are cool enough to touch, remove the skins.
10 pearl onions
Add beets to the onion water and cook until they are soft when pricked with a fork, about 20-30 minutes.
3 lb small beets
While the beets are boiling, add the vinegar, maple syrup, water, peppercorns, salt, star anise, and ginger slices to a small pot and bring it to a boil. Cover the pot and boil hard for 3 minutes. Keep the brine hot until you're ready to use it.
1 ½ cups apple cider vinegar, ¾ cup maple syrup, ¾ cup water, 1 teaspoon black peppercorns, 1 teaspoon salt, 6 whole star anise, 6 2-inch slices of ginger
Drain the beets and set them aside until they're cool enough to handle. Peel the skin from beets, cut off the top and bottom, and quarter them.
Fill the hot sterilized jars with the beets and onions, packing them in tightly. Divide the ginger and star anise evenly between the two jars. Pour the hot vinegar liquid into the jars until it covers the beets and is within ¼-inch from the top of the jar.
Seal jar and allow to sit for 2 weeks in your pantry.