zackey - you can pre-soak the seeds if you wish but you sure don't have to do it. Have grown beets for over 40 years and never once soaked them first. :) Main thing about growing them is that each "seed" is actually multiple seeds so space them accordingly and you will still have to thin them a couple of times as they grow. Dave

For plain beets, you need a pressure canner as they are a low acid vegetable. I prefer to can them plain, so I can prepare them anyway I want after the jar is opened. I'm not crazy about the pickled beet recipes that are safe for BWB canning, therefore I'm not going waste the produce or time to can it (that's me personally). I have an ancient "store in the refrigerator only" pickled beet recipe that we love, but it's totally not suitable for canning. It really depends on your personal tastes and what you will consume. And yes, if the recipes are approved, both methods are safe.

I use the sweet pickle mixes from Mrs. Wages and Ball. As to the vinegar preferences, you can decide by taste as to how much cider vinegar to white to use. Some people don't like the taste of vinegar, so an all cider type being sweetened and with spices will help mask it quite a lot. A 1/3 cider vinegar to 2/3 white is OK too. As mentioned, I would never add water to this kind of brine. I do know that even if I partially cook the whole beets just to peel and slice them, they are quite firm once in pickled jars, and remain so for a long time afterwards, more than a year! My favorite beet type is Detroit. I pick the smaller ones that are cramped between other larger ones first. This gives the rest a bit more growing space. I also like making cold beet soup (borsche). My Polish grandmother used to make it all summer and with that, and my grandfathers bakery next to the house, and is sour rye bread, you get a really great meal. The beets and greens are cooked seperate, as the greens cook quite fast. I chop the greens leaves into 1/4 to 1/2 inch wide strips. The beets are cooked through until tender. I leave about a half inch of the stems on them as well as a half inch of the root when they are being cooked. This helps to reduce some 'bleeding' of the beet color. Once cooked, I allow them to cool and peel. The beets and greens need LOTS of water to wash away any sand/soil. Once the greens are cooked, I spoon them out with a slotted spoon and toss out all of their cooking water. Usually there is a trace of sand at the bottom. Same with the cooked beets. Toss their cooking water. For a broth, I use beef stock either canned or fresh made. Slice the beets and cut into julienne strips. Add them to the broth with the cooked greens and some cut up pickling cukes, fresh chopped dill weed, and either cut up onions or scallions. I also add a couple of tablespoons of cider or white vinegar. Served with, or without sour cream. All these are memories now as I can't enjoy beets much anymore due to kidney issues.

Yes you can reprocess them if you wish within 24 hours but it will affect the texture. They are safe as is. The exposed ones will just discolor some. I either didn't cover the tops enough... That sounds as if your jars may have been overfilled? Otherwise it is siphoning from inconsistent PC pressures during processing or not waiting 10 mins. after the weight is removed to open the lid. If you have consistent siphoning problems you need to ID the cause and eliminate it. The link below details the causes and solutions. Dave Here is a link that might be useful: Causes of siphoning in pressure canning