Pickled Eggs & Beets

Rebecca loves pickles: pickled onions, pickled vegetables, Haitian style pickled cabbage, sauerkraut with juniper and caraway, red cabbage sauerkraut with apples and cloves, and of course dill pickles. Whether by nature or nurture, our 2-year old Madeline is developing the same taste. Our current strategy of getting her to eat veggies is to make them sour. This weekend, with piles of fresh beets and local eggs from the market, I was remembering an old fashioned Pennsylvania Dutch classic from my grandparents generation -- Pickled Eggs & Beets. I adapted this recipe from a few of our old Pennsylvania Dutch/Amish cookbooks (yes, we brought them with us to Haiti), reducing the sugar significantly and boosting the spices and vinegar. The resulting magenta pickles are sublime, and super easy to make. Our fridge version of Pickled Eggs & Beets will keep for at least two weeks, and works beautifully as a side, a quirky topping to salads, on toast, in a grain bowl, or as a toddler snack (well at least for our funny girl). Happy pink pickling!

Yield: 2 pint canning jars

Ingredients:

• 2 cups cider vinegar
• 1 cup water
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1/4 teaspoon whole cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon whole peppercorns
• 3 bay leaves
• 6 hard boiled eggs, peeled, left whole
• 2 cups cooked beets, peeled, cut into bite sized pieces

Steps: 

1. In a medium saucepan combine all pickling brine ingredients (vinegar, water, sugar, cinnamon, cloves, pepper, and bay leaves). Bring to a boil, and simmer for 5 minutes over low heat. Remove the cinnamon stick and discard it.

2. Gently pack the prepared hard boiled eggs and beets into two clean pint-sized canning jars, making sure to divide the eggs and beets somewhat evenly.

3. Carefully pour the hot pickling brine over the eggs and beats, covering them completely with the brine. You will have some extra pickling brine, which can be discarded. Seal the jars with canning lids, cool, and refrigerate. Refrigerate for at least one day before eating. These pickles will keep in the fridge for at least two weeks, with the color deepening on the eggs as they sit. Serve as a side dish, on salads, or as a stand alone snack.