If you keep the beet refrigerated in a covered container they will stay firm for a few days. First, I would cut the greens off to an inch of the beet. If uncovered air inside the fridge will soften them. Although, they will still be OK to pickle. I hope you are freezing the beet greens. They need a blanch though.

I make a cold beet soip of the beet greens and cooked sliced beets, along with some onions and cukes. Its all mixed into beef broth and served cold.. Borsche. Here, if the beets are smaller than an inch and a half, they get pickled whole. If larger, they are sliced along with some onions and are canned in quart jars. I use a simple sweet mixed pickle brine, usually from one of the Ball mixes. This last time I made them, someone said the beets were very hard. I can't imagine that, as they were partially cooked, peeled and placed in a vinegar brine. Usually someting like that would soften over time.. Maybe they are not used to crisp pickled things..

I use my Grandma's old recipe, spicy with cinnamon and cloves. Yum, I love beets.

Mine sat in my garage for two days before I pickled them last night, ending up with 14 pints. There was no appreciable difference in texture in the finished product.

The greens? They were cooked with a smoked pork hock. I also love greens, nearly any kind.

Annie

Thanks. I have never tried the greens before. Maybe I'll pick them tomorrow so I can try them for dinner or something. Anyone know about substituting whole cloves for ground?

If you want to use the whole cloves for the pickled beets, you may do so. There are recipes out there that call for whole cloves. You will need only two or three in a pint. I didn't use cloves in mine, just whole allspice and ground cinnamon, slice onion, sugar and vinegar.

Tell me more about beet greens and pork hocks. mmmmmmmmm.

Jackie

I agree, leaving whole cloves in the jars, tend to increase the clove taste. Fine if you like that, but usually I remove any before the liquids are added to the jars. Beet greens and their stems are great in a soup, and the stock could be ham hocks too. I like to slice 1/4 inch wide strips of the leaves. They cook up quite fast, and hold their shape if they are not over cooked too much. As mentioned, don't remove all the greens from the beets when cooking, as that tends to make teh beets 'bleed' too much, so they lose a lot of color. Once cooked, I cut off and dispose of that shorth length of greens left on the beets. Its usually where most of the dirt ends up. Also, when spooning the cooked greens out of the pot, try not to disturb the last 1/8 inch of liquid at the bottom, as that too can have some gravel in it. Like spinach, beet greens can get a lot of dirt in those leaves

Wow,I'm so glad that theres others besides me that love beet greens.We cook a inexpensive picnic ham outside on the rottiserrie grill and always have a side of beet greens in the Summer.My family love them with a simple splash of vinegar/oil fresh or lightly fried with minced garlic.With our home canned whole pickled for sure.
Beets are so underrated I think.

lonewolf

Beets need to be peeled in a way which is different from any other vegetable I know of.

Prior to cooking do not peel the beets. Trim the tops leaving an inch or more of the stems and don't trim the tap root at all. If trimmed too closely or peeled, the beets will bleed in the cooking.

After cooking, run cold water over them to cool them enough that they can be handled. At this point, a little rubbing with your fingers will slide the skins right off.

Beet greens have been a favorite vegetable of mine since I was a kid. We used the thinnings from our beet row. The greens were cooked whole with the little marble sized beets attached. Nothing is better. I like to sprinkle a little vinegar on them.

Jim

Jimster, didnt I just say that??

"Jimster, didnt I just say that??"

Actually, no. You said nothing about peeling beets, which was my main point.

Also, you said nothing about how much I enjoy beets and beet greens. :-)

Jim

Jim, I like to cut the beet stems in 2 inch lengths before cooking. My husband likes his greens with vinegar. I want mine with butter, salt and pepper only.

So Ijust need to steam them as stems, or with tiny beets attatched, and flavor as desired. I don't believe I've ever eaten a beet green in my life! Would they be good as a wilted bacon dressing salad, maybe with some hard boiled egg?
Jackie