Beets Beat

For anyone who has trouble hard boiling and peeling eggs I am not on that list! I have no tricks. I use fresh (very fresh from a nearby neighbor) large beautiful brown - sometimes greenish or bluish eggs. I do one dozen at a time in a pot that holds exactly 12 and none lay on top of another. I start them in very cold water and when it starts to boil I time a fast simmer for 15 minutes. When time is up, I immediately pour off the hot water and fill the pot with very cold water from the tap. I change the cold water three times, and then start the peeling. I tap the round end in the sink to break the shell and then roll the eggs until it is all cracked. I open the round end first and the rest just slips away!

I open two cans of small whole beets and make up a mixture of brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, water, cinnamon sticks, whole cloves, sea salt and the beet juice. This mixture is brought to a boil and simmered for about 15 minutes and is then poured over the 12 eggs and 26 little beets. When it has all cooled down, it is poured into a large jug which is just the right size to cover the eggs and beets. Into the refrigerator it goes for at least 3 days, but mostly is not touched for a week. 

Golly did it smell good in here! Sometimes I think I should boil up some cinnamon sticks and whole cloves just for the aroma. 

Now they are married and shall stay that way until the temptation to eat them is broken. Time to jug up!

Better than candy any day!

For real recipe ingredient measurements (grandmother's, mother's, friend's husband's) that I combined to my satisfaction, see below.

1 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup apple cider vinegar

1/4 cup water

2 cans red beets and juice

10 whole cloves

*3 sticks cinnamon

12 eggs, hard boiled and peeled

Mix sugar, salt, cider vinegar, water,  beet juice, cloves and cinnamon, and heat and let simmer for 15 minutes. Add red beets into mixture after it has cooled. 

Pour over hard boiled, peeled eggs. Let stand in refrigerator 3 days or longer. It gets better as it ages.

*Do NOT use powdered cinnamon.