Recipe: Beet Preserves

Another recipe I found in an old-timey preserving book. I didn't realize beets could be preserved this way. My harvest isn't very good this year, since I couldn't garden AND get the house ready to sell. If you make this, let us all know how it goes.

Ingredients:

approximately 4 pounds of beets, without greens or roots

2 1/2 pounds of sugar

2 lemons - juice and rind

1 tablespoon grated ginger root

1/2 cup chopped walnuts or almonds

Directions:

Scrub the unpeeled beets under running water, then slice very thin. In just enough water to cover, simmer the beets about 15 minutes. Add the sugar, lemon juice, lemon rinds, and ginger and stir. Bring to a boil. Simmer for about an hour, or until thickened sufficiently. Add nuts during last 5 minutes of cooking. Pour into sterilized jars and seal tightly.

Note: I assume you can make an additional seal with wax at this point.