Red Beet Eggs Using Fresh Beets

I pulled my jar of red beet eggs out of the fridge while a friend from out west was visiting. 

She looked at me like I had two heads and said, “Um…..what are those?”

I forgot that this Pennsylvania Dutch favorite is not well known in other parts of the country. 

If you are from or have ever lived near Pennsylvania Dutch or Amish country, red beet eggs are a very familiar food to you (along with Sheetz, being 10 minutes late for work because you got stuck behind an Amish buggy, having to get the front end of your car aligned entirely too much because of all the potholes, Apple Dumplings, Pumpkin Rolls and Shoofly Pies – amiright?!) 😉

If you are not from around South Central Pennsylvania, let me be the first to introduce you to an Amish staple and my go-to nutrient dense snack — Red Beet Eggs!

I especially like these pickled red beet eggs for when I’m traveling and need to pack filling, nutrient dense foods. They are a great source of protein, fat, good carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals and you’ll even get a nice dose of probiotics from the raw apple cider vinegar! I like to eat them for breakfast or lunch when I’m in a hurry and need something quick. They are super filling and can easily hold me over until my next meal. 

I make red beet eggs all the time, but to be honest, I’ve always done it the lazy way – using beets from a can or a jar. I know, I know. *hangs head in shame*

I really thought that making them with fresh beets would be so complicated and you should know by now that I don’t do complicated.  But one day, not too long ago, I got a little ambitious and decided to make my red beet eggs using fresh beets that I got from my neighbors farm. 

And it is so simple, you guys! You so cannot beat (har har) the taste of fresh. I won’t ever make my red beet eggs with a jar or can again! 

The longer the eggs sit in the pickling marinade, the more beautiful and flavorful they become. I like them the best after at least 3 days when the whites turn completely purple on the inside. So gorgeous! They are also really yummy sliced over a salad or made into deviled eggs. 

I hope you’ll give these pickled red beet eggs a try so you can see why I usually have a container of them in my fridge at all times. And I’d love to know if you’ve ever had red beet eggs or if you’re from or live in the area so leave me a comment!  I live in the beautiful farm country of Red Lion, Pennsylvania – just a short little drive from Lancaster 🙂 

Red Beet Eggs Using Fresh Beets Recipe:

Red Beet Eggs using Fresh Beets

 

Author:

Kelly from Primally Inspired

Serves: 1 dozen red beet eggs

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Pickled Red Beet Eggs using Fresh Beets and no refined sugar. A Pennsylvania Dutch Recipe.

Ingredients

• 1 dozen hardboiled peeled eggs (for a hardboiled egg tutorial, click HERE)
• 8-10 small to medium sized beets (about 1.5 pounds), scrubbed clean
• 6 cups of water
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• pinch of cinnamon
• pinch of cloves
• ½ teaspoon sea salt
• ¼ teaspoon pepper
• 2 shallots or 1 small onion, thinly sliced
• 1 cup raw apple cider vinegar (I use THIS)
• ¼ cup raw honey (find HERE) *The traditional Pennsylvania Dutch recipe uses much more white sugar than this, but I found this amount of raw honey is the perfect amount of sour and sweetness. You can omit the honey for a sugar free option, too.

Instructions

1. Slice the tops and ends off of the beets and add them to your 6 cups of water.
2. Bring to a boil over medium high heat and cook for 20 minutes or until they are tender.
3. Remove the beets from the water and set aside to cool (don't throw out the beet water!).
4. Add the garlic, cinnamon, cloves, salt and pepper to the beet water and set aside.
5. Once the beets are cool enough to handle, the skins should slip off easily so slip the skins off and slice the beets to desired size.
6. Place the beets in a large bowl or mason jars (I use THIS large jar).
7. Add the hardboiled peeled eggs and sliced shallots to the jar with the beets and set aside.
8. Once the beet water has cooled to a warm temperature, stir in the honey and apple cider vinegar.You want the beet water warm enough to dissolve the honey but not hot enough to destroy the beneficial enzymes in the acv and raw honey. Set aside for 1 hour so the flavors can develop.
9. After an hour, strain the liquid into the jar with the beets, onion and eggs. You want the liquid to completely cover the eggs.
10. Cover the jar (or bowl) lightly and refrigerate for at least 8 hours. They get better with time in the fridge - I typically like to wait 3 days. Enjoy!

Notes

If you have leftover beet pickling liquid, save it until you have some more hardboiled eggs! After you've eaten the eggs and beets, you'll most likely have a lot of leftover liquid. Save it and reuse it!

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