Assuming, (BTW, never assume. It doesn't usually turn out.) that the beets would come with their tops on, I agreed to a 1/2 bushel of beets. I gave them my name and my phone number. No backing out now!!
Well, as it turns out, the beets came with their tops off. Way more beets that way.
If you have ever wondered what a 1/2 bushel of beets look like...here you go.
Yup. A lot of beets.
I thought I was taking step by step pictures but I guess I didn't. It probably wouldn't have been that interesting anyway.
I made a trip to the store and so did DH to get enough vinegar for the job.
Can you smell the beets, vinegar and spices?
It's like a sauna in here!
So for future reference: A 1/2 bushel of beets will make 14 pints and 5 quarts of pickles. And take 3 trips to the store. 2 for vinegar and 1 for quart jars when you run out of pints.
They sure are pretty though...
And then maybe 2 weeks later, again at the Farmers Market, there are the last cucumbers of the season. I've been trying to find a good Bread and Butter pickle in the store but haven't come across anything that is nearly as good as homemade.
I guess 2 weeks is long enough to have forgotten all the work involved and so I bought cucumbers, onions, green peppers. And in the big box store right there, I got more pint jars.
Here we go again!
I was going to do step by step pictures again but didn't manage to this time either. So here are the veggies sitting in salt for 3 hours.
And here is the finished product. 9 pints of Bread and Butter pickles.
Now we just have to wait a few weeks for them to get that good pickled flavor throughout. They should be ready to start eating at Thanksgiving.
Yum!
