365 Project #40 Refrigerator Pickled Beets

I like beets, but I LOVE pickled beets.  I have to watch the labels very carefully to be sure the canned beets I get have no corn syrup and we're trying to 'eat fresh' more often, so I decided to make my own pickled beets.  Most recipes call for white vinegar and lots of white sugar (rather not) to counteract the harsh white vinegar taste.  I decided to use apple cider vinegar and honey instead.  I wanted onions but don't particularly care for the raw onion taste, so I sliced an onion and let it boil in the beet water for 5 minutes to take the 'edge' off.

Refrigerator Pickled Beets with ACV and Honey

2 1/2 lbs. beets, washed and scrubbed'

One med, onion, peeled and sliced

1 cup beet water (after cooking)

1/2 cup HEB Natural Apple Cider Vinegar

1/4 cup Fain's Honey

1 Tb. Knuckle Donny's Super Seasoning

(or spices of your choice)

Scrub beets very well, if ends are very pitted cut them off, they may harbor dirt that could make the beet water taste like dirt.  Boil sm/med beets 30 min. or med/lg. beets 45 minutes, lift out the biggest one and cut it in half to check.  You want them done but firm, not soft.

Plunge them into a bowl of cold water to stop cooking.  The advice I got on recipes was that this would make the peels slip right off.  Nope, it didn't, but I was able to handle them right away.

Add the sliced onions to the beet water, simmer 5 minutes and drain.

In a saucepan, heat 1 cup beet water, 1/2 cup vinegar, 1/4 cup honey and spices, boil for a couple of minutes.

Slice beets into 1/4" slices and layer with onions in a jar or glass dish and add hot pickling liquid.  I didn't have quite enough so I added another 1/4 cup beet water and a few Tb.s of vinegar and swirled the liquid around a bit.

Now comes the humorous part of this recipe.  Cover tightly and leave it alone for three days.  Um...maybe just a couple of bites...