This condiment is one that I make every single year. It is that yummy! The relish is a vibrant red with an earthy sweetness from the beets, an undercurrent of acidity from the cider vinegar and a warming kick from the horseradish. It is absolute perfection on grilled sausages! It is worth making just for that. Red beets are the most stunning in this relish, but you could easily substitute them with golden beets. I have not tried this with white beets, but I imagine the colour would be muddy and not as attractive (although I am sure the taste would still be good). If you have homemade horseradish, by all means, use that!
Ingredients
3 lb. red beets
2 1/2 cups apple cider vinegar (5% acidity)
2 cups finely diced onion (about 1 large)
1 1/4 cup prepared horseradish (not creamed)
2 tsp pickling salt
1 1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
1/2 - 1 tsp ground red pepper
Directions
Trim stems from beets and scrub. Cut into 2" cubes, place in a large saucepan and add water to cover. Bring to a boil and simmer 20-25 minutes or until tender. Drain, rinse and cool slightly. Peel beets by rubbing off skins and remove any tiny roots or remaining stems. Finely dice by hand or place in a food processor and pulse until finely diced. You should have about 8 cups total.
Combine beets, vinegar and remaining ingredients in a large stainless steal or enameled Dutch oven. Bring to a boil, stirring often. Reduce heat and simmer 12 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Ladle hot beet mixture into sterilized hot jars, leaving 1/2" of headspace. (To sterilize, place in hot water canner 10 minutes, plus add an extra 5 minutes if in Calgary area to adjust for altitude.) Remove air bubbles. Wipe jar rims. Center lid on jar, apply band and turn until fingertip-tight. Place jars in boiling water canner. Process jars for 15 minutes (add 5 minutes if in Calgary area to adjust for altitude). Turn off heat, remove lid and let jars stand in water 5 minutes before removing to cool.
Yummy gardening everyone!
Makes 4 - 5 pints (1 pint equals 500mL)
Look for my recipe for fresh horseradish and creamed horseradish coming soon (or try Common Sense Home's recipes here).
Original recipe from "All New Ball Book of Canning and Preserving"