How to preserve beetroot
In this brief article, we will answer ‘ ‘How to preserve beetroot’’. This article will also discuss the importance of preserving beetroot and the increase in its shelf life after preservation.
How to preserve beetroot?
You can preserve beetroot by preserving it, dehydration method or by freezing the beetroot. To preserve the beetroot, no matter what the method is, you need to cook the beetroot beforehand. To prepare the beetroot, clean by removing the foliage and slicing the beetroot. You don’t have to waste the foliage, it can be used in salads.
Must haves to prepare beetroot for preservation
You must have a large pan in which you will cook the beetroot and some gloves that will protect the strong color of this root from getting on your hands or clothes. Also buy a colander to drain the water, remember that beetroot has a very strong color so you have to be very careful while cutting or cooking it.
Freezing cooked beetroot
Once the beetroot is cooked make sure that it is placed in the fridge once it has cooled down. Storing the beetroot in the fridge will reduce its chances of getting spoiled. You can slice the root in medium size pieces, place them in an airtight container or bag and place them in the fridge.
To freeze them, you can either put the whole cooked beetroot in the freezer or cut it into cubes or slices. Make sure that you use an airtight container which will prevent moisture and bacteria from entering the bag.
Use your food dehydrator to preserve beetroot
If you have a dehydrator, then you can very easily preserve beetroot into thin crispy slices. After you have cooked the beetroot, peel and slice it. Make sure that the slices are not very thick, place them in the dehydrator until they look dark red and crispy. Once they are done, place them in airtight jars so access is easier.
Pickling beetroot
Pickling beetroot is a very famous method of storing this root. Make sure that you peel the root first, and use gloves while you are at it. Look for jars that have aluminium lids which don’t rust easily. These jars should be airtight as you will be adding a liquid in them along with the beetroot.
Sterilizing the jars
An important step before pickling beetroot is sterilizing the jars in boiling water. This will ensure that there is no leftover bacteria or moisture in the jars. You will have beetroot pickle that is free from mold. Sterilize the lids separately in a separate pot of boiling water.
Preparing the pickling juice
The juice in which beetroot is pickled is prepared after preparing the beetroot. The most common liquid used to pickle beetroot is vinegar. If you want, you can also add spices in the vinegar which will add a very nice flavor to it.
When placing the beetroot in the jars, make sure that you don’t stack too many slices which will leave not enough space for the juice. After the slices, add the vinegar juice to the top of the jar so that each and every slice is covered with the juice.
Heat the jars in an oven to preserve the beetroot
You need to put the closed jars with the beetroot and vinegar inside the oven for 40 minutes which has been preheated at 100F. This step is necessary to make sure that no air can enter the jars by creating a vacuum. Use gloves when it is time to take out the jars as they will be super hot. When the jars cool down, label them according to the date.
You can store raw beetroot too!
You can store raw beetroot by keeping it inside the fridge in an airtight bag. It will last for about 3 months without going bad. If you want to store raw beetroot outside the fridge then make sure that you keep it dry at all times.
You can store it in a box in between layers of sand that will help absorb any moisture that is present. This will also keep the root fresh for a long time. Don’t wash the beetroot if you want to store it warm. Just make sure that you remove the foliage before you store it raw.
If you are growing your own beetroot, you can keep it in the soil until it is ready to use. It will stay fresh inside the soil so you don’t have to worry about it getting bad.
Conclusion
In this brief article, we answered ‘’How to preserve beetroot’’. This article also discussed the importance of preserving beetroot and the increase in its shelf life after preservation.
