tis the season of beets!

today i thought i’d share my favorite quick-pickled beets recipe – perfect as a topping on salads or eaten straight from the jar.

ingredients:

2 cups vinegar (plain vinegar or cider vinegar is just fine)

2 cups water

1/2 cup sugar

1 tablespoon minced fresh garlic

1 tablespoon whole cloves

2 teaspoons black peppercorn

2 teaspoons dried thyme

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 bay leaf per jar 

roughly 3 pounds of red beets, peeled & cut into large chunks

directions:

in a medium-sized saucepan, heat up your vinegar, water, sugar, garlic, cloves, peppercorn, thyme & oregano to a boil & allow to simmer until your beets are fully cooked.

in a large pot, submerge your beets into salty water. bring to a boil & cook until tender, roughly 10 minutes or so. test for doneness with a fork.

once your beets are tender, drain them & stuff them into your jars along with a bay leaf. pour brine over beets using a stainless steel funnel until beets ar fully covered with liquid. screw on lid & place in the fridge. allow beets to marinade with brine for a day or so … if you can wait that long.

please note: this recipe is not shelf-safe so keep in the fridge for freshness. enjoy!

love,

natalie

p.s. my quick-pickled sugar snap peas are a favorite around here – click here to find the recipe.

i’ve been working toward establishing weekly routines in an effort to be more intentional with my days, weeks, months, years & truthfully – life. for so long i disliked routine & schedules. just recently, though, i’ve grown to appreciate a thoughtful rhythm to my work & home life.

some of the chores & habits i’ve introduced into my week include purchasing (or harvesting when the time comes) a fresh bouquet of flowers every week, planning our weekly menu on sunday night, shopping for groceries on monday afternoon & harvesting/building an extra large garden salad each week.

the harvesting & building of our weekly salad is quite labor intensive on the front end, but it saves me so much time come lunch & dinner. 

i harvest a variety of greens from the garden – lettuce, mesculin mix, kale, swiss chard, spinach & arugula – & wash them thoroughly in our kitchen sink. once they’ve been washed & chopped, i fill up the largest bowl i own & mix. i chop up an assortment of in-season vegetables, too, & add them to the top. i cover my large bowl & pull it out for lunchtime & dinnertime salad needs, adding additional toppings & salad dressing at that time.

 it’s been such an easy way to encourage more greens into our diet & the peaceful time outside in the garden is quite wonderful.

what weekly chores & habits to you make room for within your weekly rhythm? i’d love to learn a handful of your tricks! please share in the comments below.

love,

natalie