Pickled Beets
Despite the awful drought, we have a good crop of beets.  Saturday I decided it was time to can a batch of pickled beets.  I already have a list of those folks who treasure them so much they want them for Christmas.
These are the preparatory steps:
1. Wash 7 pounds of beets.
2. Leave about 1" of stem and root on the beet to prevent bleeding.
3. Place them in a pot and cover with water.

Leave some root and tops to
prevent bleeding.

Slip the skins off and remove the
stems and root.

4. Bring to a boil and simmer until done (about 25 min).  A simple prick of the fork will tell you if they are done. Don't over cook - they'll still be cooking in the canner.
5. Remove them from the cooking liquid.
6. As soon as you can handle them, slip off the skins cutting off the top and the root.
7. A simple prick of the fork will tell you if they are done.
8. Slice them into 1/4" slices.
This is where I had a "tada" moment.
Claudette to self - "Hmmm these slices look just like my hard boiled eggs when I put them in the egg-slicer...I wonder how that would work?"  Well guess what...it worked!
Gadgets have to pass a few rules to make it into my kitchen.  First they have to be very effective, doing whatever it is much faster and better than I can do it without them, I would have to use them more than once in a blue moon, AND they have to do more than one thing.  Well that was almost a deal-breaker, but I bought the egg slicer anyway because I love my aunt and she convinced me it's the greatest thing since sliced bread.
As of Saturday I can at least say it passes my more-than-one-use rule and for some of you who aren't comfortable with sharp knives...we now have a solution.

The egg/beet slicer produced perfect slices.

Now for the recipe: I started doing these 25+ years ago using a recipe out of my Joy of Cooking cookbook.  I have used the National Center for Home Food Preservation web site for updated canning times and information.  Their recipe for pickled beets is virtually identical.  Please visit their site for canning instructions. http://nchfp.uga.edu/how/can_06/pickled_beets.html
I didn't use cinnamon sticks in this batch because I forgot them.  :-)  Yes it happens to all of us.  As a matter of fact I forgot about the bag of spices, which got canned into one of the jars.  There will be days like that.  My husband encourages me at times like that saying, "that doesn't happen to people who don't do anything." They tasted good despite my mistake.

Brine for Beets
6 cups vinegar
3 cups sugar
3 cups water
2 1/4 teaspoon pickling or canning salt
36 peppercorns
18 cloves
2 cinnamon sticks
3 medium-sized bay leaves
6 medium onions, sliced
Directions
Place first four ingredients in a pot large enough to hold the brine, the beets and the onions.  Lay the peppercorns, cloves, cinnamon sticks and bay leaves in a cheesecloth bag.  Gather up the edges and tie it shut, then drop it in the liquid.  You can also place them in a tea ball if you break the cinnamon and bay leaves into smaller pieces.  Add them to the pot and bring everything to a boil.
Add beets and onions and simmer no more than 5 minutes. REMOVE THE SPICE SACK. Fill the canning jars as instructed at the National Center for Home Food Preservation web site.

About the Ingredients:
Vinegar:  If you've read anything else on my blog you already know how I feel about vinegar.  Choose quality ingredients.
Sugar:  Yes, that's a lot of sugar, but if you are not a diabetic and if you don't eat half a jar and drink the liquid you should be okay.  NOTE:  Some artificial sweeteners are questionable sugar substitutes when canning because they become unstable in high heat.  Concerns range from safety to taste.
Salt:  The average table salt has additives to make it "pour when it rains."  Pickling or canning salt is additive free.  It does make a difference.  The brine usually becomes cloudy and unattractive looking.
Spices:  36 peppercorns is a lot to count.  It's loosely a half teaspoon. 18 cloves is worth the time to count because it's hard to measure accurately.  If  you're desperate for a quick fix, figure a very heaped full half teaspoon.
Onions: The original recipe calls for slicing the onions very thinly.  I find that with medium to large onions, that makes the onion rings a pain to deal with when filling the jars.  Cutting the onion in half first and then slicing it thinly works better for me.

The finished product.

TIP:  If you have hard water, add a little vinegar to the water in your canner.  Jars will come out sparkling instead of cloudy looking.

My dear friend Lynn has asked me to post more than just food recipes.  Well obviously I like to eat, but they say there's more to life than just eating so here it goes.
I just got done hanging a load of wash on the line.  My homemade fabric softener just ran out, so I'll have to make more.  In honor of Lynn's request, I'll share some fabric softener substitutes and a recipe for one.  Lynn will be using one of these I'm sure.  She's pregnant with twin girls and wow will she be doing laundry!  :-)
Adequately rinsing soaps or detergents out of your clothes is an important first step.  Soap left in the fabric not only causes the item to be less soft, it can act as an irritant and it attracts and holds dirt.  Adding an extra rinse is considered money well spent by some.


FABRIC SOFTENER SUBSTITUTES

Nothing smells better than
sun-dried laundry  

NOTE:  Fabric softener keeps fabric fibers from absorbing moisture.  If your towels aren't doing a good job drying...you're probably overusing softener.

WIND:  Clothes that hang on the line in the wind are much softer than those hanging still.  They still can use some vinegar to be sure the laundry soap is thoroughly rinsed out. 

VINEGAR:  Many consider vinegar to be the best substitute for fabric softener.  It helps remove soap residue serving not just a softening purpose, but also making clothes less likely to attract dirt.  Vinegar can be added to the rinse dispenser.  If you have a top loading machine you have the option to add more directly to the tub during the rinse cycle.  It can also be put on a clean rag and thrown into the dryer to do its work there.  It is very ecologically friendly.

HOMEMADE SOFTENER:  Some people opt to make their own.  There are numerous varying recipes, but most have the same basic ingredients.  This is a good time to use up all those little bottles of hair conditioner piling up that you got at hotels. 

Vinegar is versatile and safe.

INGREDIENTS:  Water, vinegar and hair conditioner.  These are inexpensive ingredients, especially when buying them on sale at discount stores. The following recipe can be made to use for making “dryer sheets.”  
Alternately,do like I do. Mix up one of these recipes and keep it in a jug by the washer.  I pour it into the softener receptacle and let the washer dispense it.

DIRECTIONS #1 RECIPE: 

1.      Mix 3 – 4 cups water, 1 cup vinegar, and 1 cup hair conditioner. 

2.      Layer 3 to 5 old warn out wash cloths* or dish cloths into a plastic container.

3.      Pour in enough conditioner to cover the bottom cloth and seal the container.

4.      When you want one, flip the stack of cloths to get the wet one.  Wring it out and place in the dryer.

5.      After it is used, place it on top and flip the stack to get another wet one.

DIRECTIONS #2 RECIPE: 

1.      Mix 3 cups vinegar, 2 cups hair conditioner and 6 cups water.

2.      Mix together in an old fabric softener jug and use in the washer using the same measure.

3.      Alternately, pour the softener onto a wash cloth* and place in the dryer.

* Some people suggest cutting T-shirts or wash cloths to fit their container.  Beware of anything that will fray when cut (e.g. terry) and leave a mess in the dryer.