When you’re choosing beets, make sure they’re firm and unbruised. Beets that are soft to the touch or discolored are not fresh enough to pickle. Make sure to use high-quality fresh beets. If your beets came with the greens attached, you can save them and cook them up for a tasty green treat. Beet greens are delicious chopped and sauteed in butter or olive oil.
There is another way to cook the beets: you can roast them. This will result in a slightly different final texture and flavor. Wrap them in aluminum foil and roast at 350 °F (177 °C) for about an hour, until the beets are cooked through. [2] X Research source
Glass mason jars are the best storage containers for pickled beets, since the glass won’t react with the pickling brine. Do not use a metal or plastic container, since these materials could react with the pickling brine and taint the beets.
If the lids pop off when you remove the rings, the canning was not properly done. You can still eat the beets if you place the jar in the refrigerator right away, but you won’t be able to store the jars for a year with the other properly canned beets.
