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Beet and Horseradish Relish is a fall treat

Whether you have a garden of your own or not, this is the time of year for beets. Most Farmer’s Markets will have a lot of them right now, and there are plenty of ways to enjoy them. Beet and Horseradish Relish is a perfect example.

This relish is spicy, a little sweet and it hangs on to some nice crunch, even if you can it.

The inspiration isn’t new

Though I learned a lot of canning from my grandma and my mom, this idea did not come from them. Neither of them ever liked spicy food, so they stuck to canned or pickled beets. I got the original recipe from an old landlord of ours, and over the years I have adapted it considerably according to our tastes.

This is more than just beets

By themselves, beets that were shredded this way would not retain a lot of texture. That is where the cabbage and onions come in, adding flavor and helping with the crunch factor. I like to use a food processor to shred the cabbage and onions but it is doable with just a knife. It’s just going to take a lot longer. I like this Cuisinart Food Processor which gets a massive workout in my kitchen this time of year.

Use fresh beets

As I already mentioned, there are a lot of beets around in September, but even if you run across this recipe at another time of year, there are nearly always fresh beets in the supermarket. We grow beets in the summer, but at other times of year, I have gotten very nice organic beets from Azure Standard, a great source for all kinds of organic and bulk items. Check locally first, of course, but if your area is like ours, most Farmer’s Markets dry up after October or November.

Simple ingredients for the brine

One place I have really changed up this recipe over the years is in the brine. The original only had vinegar, sugar, horseradish and salt. Now, I add some freshly grated ginger and some pickling spice. These both make the flavors more complex and especially ramp up the spiciness. Cider vinegar and brown sugar round out the flavors. The amounts of horseradish, ginger and pickling spice can be adjusted to your personal preferences, but don’t reduce the amount of vinegar, especially if you plan to can the relish.

How to make Beet and Horseradish Relish

recipe for beet horseradish relish on the creekside cook

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Beet and Horseradish Relish

Author: Donalyn Ketchum

A lively tasting condiment that goes great with charcuterie, roast pork, or cheese and crackers.

Course: Condiments

Cuisine: American

Meal: Brunch, Dinner, Lunch, Picinic

Servings: pints

Equipment

Ingredients

5 medium fresh beets
2 cups shredded green cabbage
1 cup shredded raw onion
1 1/3 cups apple cider vinegar
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/3 cup prepared horseradish
2 tablespoons freshly grated ginger
1 tablespoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons pickling spice in a tea ball, or tied in a piece of cheesecloth, optional [see notes]

Instructions

Prepare the beets

Remove the leaves from the beets, leaving an inch or two of stems. They should be well scrubbed to remove any dirt. Leave whole.
Bring salted water to a boil in a 5 quart stock pot. Add beets and cook for around 20 minutes.
Remove one of the beets from the water, and using a paper towel, Push gently on the skin to see if it will "slip", or peel away from the beet. If it does, remove all of the beets to a sink or bowl of cool water until they are cooled off enough to handle. If not, return the beet to the pan and boil another 5 to 10 minutes until it is done enough for the skins to come off.
Once the beets are cooled enough to handle, gently squeeze each beet in your hand and "slip' the skins off. Return the peeled beets to the cool water to rinse off. [see notes]
Using a box grater, or a food processor with a grater blade, grate all of the beets.

Make the relish

Place all of the ingredients back in the rinsed out 5 quart stock pot, and bring up to a simmer, and cook for about 30 minutes. Remove the pickling spices, if used.
At this point, you can pack the relish into refrigerator containers and chill completely before serving.
OR, you may can this relish for longer storage. Pints need to be waterbath processed for 20 minutes. See notes for a link to canning instructions.

Notes

This is quite spicy, but you can reduce the amount of horseradish and or ginger if you prefer.

I would not mix the pickling spice into this relish, because you don't want to be biting into an allspice berry or peppercorn. A mesh tea ball works very well, or place the spices in a small pice of cheesecloth and tie into a bundle.

For detailed canning instructions, see my Blueberry Preserves post. This relish should process for 20 minutes in pints, 25 for quarts.

This will keep, uncanned, in the refrigerator for quite awhile - a few months at least. Obviously if it doesn't look or smell good after a couple months, don't eat it.

This is a pretty safe thing to can, if you're a beginner at canning - the amount of vinegar will keep it from spoiling very readily.

You can waterbath can or just refrigerate

As I mentioned in the recipe card, I give detailed instruction for canning in my Blueberry Preserves recipe. This will keep fresh in the refrigerator for quite a long time though. Mix it with mayo to have on roast beef sandwiches, add a little dish of it on a charcuterie tray, serve it with grilled pork chops, or top cheese and crackers with a dollop.