I used to hate beets. No joke, for years I refused to eat them. The funny thing is, my incredibly picky brother, Eytan, was the one who finally convinced me to try them pickled, and voila! Now I just can’t get enough of beets–raw in salads, roasted, poached, braised, and best of all–pickled!
Some of you may know that I lost my brother to suicide earlier this summer. This recipe is for him. I don’t think I’ll ever eat another beet without thinking about him. But it’s not sad–I chuckle every time I think about the fact that he wouldn’t eat cabbage, parsnips, turnips, rutabaga, cooked carrots, or any kind of beans…but he loved beets 
I wanted crunchy pickled beets so I left them raw, but if you prefer a softer beet, you can blanch them before adding them into the mason jars. I also like a sweet pickle that still has a pretty hefty vinegary bite, so feel free to reduce the amount of sugar, or use a more mellow vinegar like rice vinegar for a softer bite.
I threw the tarragon in here on a whim since I had some in the fridge, and I was really happy I did. It’s a subtle flavor, but really blends well with the sharp garlic and lemony coriander. 2 weeks in the fridge and these beets are so beautifully pink, crunchy, spicy, and honestly just plain delicious
Garlic & Tarragon Pickled Beets
1 Tbsp yellow mustard seed
1 tsp brown mustard seed
1 tsp whole coriander
1 cup white vinegar
1 cup apple cider vinegar
2 cups water
1 cup sugar
2 tsp sea salt
2 large beets
2 sprigs tarragon
4 garlic cloves, peeled
Directions:
- In a large skillet, toast mustard seeds and coriander over medium-low heat, careful not to let them burn, 2-3 minutes.
- In a small saucepan, heat vinegars and water. Dissolve sugar and salt. Add spices and bring to a boil.
- Peel beets and cut into preferred shape (I did matchstick, but you can do chunks, slices, quarter slices, etc. Just make sure they’ll fit into your mason jars).
- Divide beets, tarragon and garlic between 2 large or 4 small mason jars. Pour vinegar mixture until beets are just covered.
- Tightly seal jars and allow to sit in the fridge at least 2 weeks.
The cost:
beets: 1.39
vinegar: 2.99
spices: 4.99
tarragon: 1.99
Grand total: $11.36 (vinegar, spices & tarragon would make 4-5 batches)
It looks great. I needed a interesting recipe for pickled betroot an dnow I found it, thank you very much.
I use to mix grated betroot with grated horseradish, vinegar, a little olive oil, and salt, according to an old Romanian recipe. You shoild try it, it is very simple to prepare and is veeeery tasty, especiallly when eaten with some steak.
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