Addendum to pickling recipe, or, why do I do this again?
'When you decide to pickle beets, and then decide to double the recipe because "you're making a big mess anyway," start early in the day - before lunch ideally. And definitely early enough that the outside temperature will not drop to *zero* and start frost forming on the porch floor membrane before you're done - besides leading to you being very cold though unwilling to add layers of warmer clothing that might become stained, this will complicate matters in other ways. Oh -- and when all of the recipes say "after boiling for 30-45 minutes, immerse in cold water and slip off skins," remember what a joke doing same with peaches can be (why did you believe it -this- time?). Perhaps this should be a two-day process; prep the beets one day, refrigerate and then brine, heat through and can the next. But really, unless these are the best damn pickles ever........
The skins did not 'slip off.' It was more like rubbing them off in brittle chunks and small bits, then painstakingly going back. over. each. beet. with a knife and removing the remainder - before slicing, mixing with spices, vinegar and honey, bringing back to a boil, and filling the jars. At this point, you will no longer care about the mess being made of the kitchen counter and the old dishcloths you used to try and rein in the juices, and you will have lightly burnt your hand (several times). Now, re-immersing the lidded, full jars in the canners (outside) which have to come back up to a boil and sit for 30 minutes to seal.
The skins did not 'slip off.' It was more like rubbing them off in brittle chunks and small bits, then painstakingly going back. over. each. beet. with a knife and removing the remainder - before slicing, mixing with spices, vinegar and honey, bringing back to a boil, and filling the jars. At this point, you will no longer care about the mess being made of the kitchen counter and the old dishcloths you used to try and rein in the juices, and you will have lightly burnt your hand (several times). Now, re-immersing the lidded, full jars in the canners (outside) which have to come back up to a boil and sit for 30 minutes to seal.