I Can
I plant a big vegetable patch every year though it has gotten somewhat smaller over the last two when I realized I had just too much stuff growing and a lot of work. Now I just plant the things I know will get used up like carrots, beets, onions and some potatoes. Especially the carrots and beets, nothing better than fresh from the ground carrots over store bought.
With the beets I'll end up canning about 30 quart jars.
Different folks have different methods I just use the boiling bath method on the stovetop with a large canning pot, holds 6 quart jars with a removeable wire holder inside.
Firstly you have to start out with good mason jars, scruptuously clean (thr the dishwasher) and the two part lids (the ring and the seal)
You should also run the jar rings thru the dw as well.
For pickled beets you wash them, then boil them till they are fork tender (al dente) and the skins slide off.
You prepare you pickling liquid, in the case of beets it's water,sugar and white vinegar (pickling spices optional). Quantities of the 3 main ingredients vary to taste,, I like it sort of sour so more vinegar. The 3 ingredients are brought to a boil in a large stock pot.
When you're ready to can the beets, you first place your beets either cut up or whole into the respective clean jars and then ladel the pickling liquid into the jars up to about 1 inch of the jars mouth. (I forgot to mention that you have to take the jar seals and boil them about 3 minutes to soften the sealant and sterilize them) After the jars are filled with the beets and liquid you carefully lift a jar seal out of the hot water and place on the jar mouth, never allowing your fingers to touch the jar or seal. Then you screw the jar ring on finger tight.. Place these jars in the boiling water bath, must be covered by boiling water and let process about 20 minutes, remove from boiling water and place jars aside, within about 3 minutes you'll hear the jar seal "snap" from the vacuum as it cools, it it doesn't then it didn't seal properly and you have to redo it, using a new seal and resterilizing the jar.
Sounds complicated but it isn't,,,just time consuming.
Many people who can acidic foods, or foods canned in vinegars don't even bother with all this processing to kill bacteria,, I would'nt eat their stuff.
Canning fruits is similar though you have to add acidics to your liquids to keep the fruit from turning brown.
If you're just canning veggies in a water type base liquid then it's paramount that the sterilizing and processing times are followed to the letter.
Now go out and buy half a bushel of pickling cukes and make your own dill pickles,,it aint that hard.
