Step 1

Wash your jars and lids in hot soapy water and rinse thoroughly. Set aside until you are ready to use them.

Step 2

Place the jar rack into the pressure canner, and fill with water per your pressure canner manufacturer's instructions: Presto is 3 quarts, Mirro is 2 quarts, and All American is 2 to 3 inches.

Step 3

Fill the jars halfway with hot water, and then place them on the rack in the canner. Bring the canner to a simmer for 10 minutes (180˚F). Keep hot until you are ready to fill them.

Step 4

Scrub the beets and rinse well under running water. Trim the beet greens leaving about one inch of stem to help prevent bleeding.

Step 5

Add the beetroots to a large pot of water, bring to a boil, and cook until the skins slip off easily, about 20 minutes. Drain the beets in a colander discarding the cooking water. Let the beets cool until you can touch them without burning your hands.

Step 6

While the beets are cooling, wash out the large pot, fill with fresh water, and bring to a boil over high heat. This will be the water you'll use to fill the jars.

Step 7

Once the beets are cool enough to handle, put on gloves, and remove the skins, trim off stems, roots. Slice, cube, or leave the smaller beets whole, and cut larger beets into 2-inch pieces, 1/2 inch cubes or slices. Add the prepared beets to a large prep bowl as you work. Discard the peelings.

Step 8

Spread a kitchen towel on the counter. Use your jar lifter to remove a jar from the canner. Pour out the water (save it for washing dishes), and place the jar on the towel. Keep the remaining jars in the canner, so they stay hot.

Step 9

Place the canning funnel on the jar, and raw pack the beets into the jar while leaving a 1-inch headspace. If you are using canning salt, add up to 1/2 teaspoon per pint jar, and up to 1 teaspoon per quart jar.

Step 10

Ladle boiling water over the beets, and fill the jar while maintaining a 1-inch headspace.

Step 11

Remove air bubbles with the bubble popper and wipe the rim with a damp paper towel. Make sure all the beets are submerged, and adjust the headspace again if needed.

Step 12

Center a lid on the jar, place the band over the lid, and screw it on until fingertip tight. Using your jar lifter, immediately place the jar back on the rack in the canner, and repeat with the rest of the jars until the canner is filled, or you run out of beets.

Step 13

Place the lid on the canner and lock it. Leave the vent open, adjust the heat to medium-high, and bring the canner to a boil. Allow the pressure canner to vent steam for 10 minutes, then place the pressure regulator on top of the air vent, and watch the pressure rise.

Step 14

Once the canner has reached the correct pressure (10 pounds for weighted gauge, and 11 pounds for dial gauge canners.), set a timer, and process pint jars for 30 minutes and quart jars for 35 minutes at altitudes of less than 1,000 ft.

Step 15

Regulate the heat as needed to maintain a steady pressure, and adjust altitude if necessary (see chart below).

Step 16

When processing time is complete, turn off the heat, and let the pressure canner cool down to 0 pressure on its own. Once the canner is depressurized, let the canner cool additional 10 minutes before removing the lid.

Step 17

Spread a kitchen towel on the counter, unlock the cover, and remove it by tilting the lid away from you so that steam does not burn your face.

Step 18

Allow another 10 minutes for the jars to adjust to the change in pressure. If jars are still boiling, let them sit in the canner for another 5 minutes, or until the boiling stops.

Step 19

Use the jar lifter to lift jars carefully from canner and place on the towel. Keep the jars upright, and don't tighten bands or check the seals yet. Let the jars sit undisturbed for 12 to 24-hours to cool.

Step 20

After 12 to 24-hours, check to be sure jar lids have sealed by pushing on the center. The lid should not pop up. If the lid flexes up and down when the center is pressed, it did not seal. Refrigerate the jar and use up within a few days.

Step 21

Remove the ring bands, wash, label, date, and store in a cool, dark location (50 to 70 degrees F). Use within 18 months for the best quality. Yields about 8 pints or 4 quarts depending on the size of your beets.