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Mouthful

What in the world are you eating?

Self Preservation

07 October 2009 | 12:20 - By Phil Lees

sbs20091006_3310

It turns out that I have about three kilograms of beetroot of which to dispose in the first flush of spring, as a result of the urge to get the next season's plantings underway rather than any attempt at timing such things. As much as I love this ruby root vegetable, there is only so much borscht that one man can consume. So rather than give them away to friends like some smug feudal landlord, the decision was made to pickle.
 sbs20091006_3317 (Step 1. Boil the beetroot, let cool, and peel off the skins)

Home pickling and preserving in Australia is synonymous with a single brand - Fowlers Vacola - whom have been producing kits and their patented preserving jars since 1913. As a result of the antique Australian cooking pamphlet fetish that I'm cultivating, I've got three copies of the offical Fowlers Vacola preserving guide: from 1930, 1943 and 2009. The change between them is marked. 1930 has a strong focus on preserving meats with testimonials to support the preservation of every cut of every animal. A few meat products that no longer are part of the popular Australian vernacular with one successful preserver mentions pickling "haslet", a pork entrail-rich meatloaf originally from Lincolnshire. I had to reach for the dictionary. By 1943, the meats are still there as are debates over how much gelatin to use - although with more significant warnings on their careful preservation (pickling rabbit was out due to the as yet unknown effects of the introduced disease myxomatosis).
 sbs20091006_3320 (Step 2. Cut the beetroot into even slices. I'm using a mandolin out of laziness and the need to justify its continued existence)

By 2009, both meats and most vegetables had disappeared from the Fowlers Vacola guide. Pickling and preserving in Australia is no longer a survival mechanism but a luxury for most. A bad batch of preserves is not going to risk many families going hungry. Growing more vegetables than you can immediately eat would put you amongst the minority of gardeners and the absolute ubiquity of refrigerators means that the alternate method of preserving - freezing - is easier.

 sbs20091006_3325

(Step 3. The 1943 edition of the Fowlers Vacola cookbook suggests that 2 pints of malt vinegar mixed with half a "teacup" of sugar is needed for the betroot pickling mix. Pour into jars with the beetroot.)


sbs20091006_3334
(Step 4. Into the preserver to heat for 70 minutes) sbs20091006_3339 (Step 5. Out comes pickled beetroot (and some leftover strawberries) that will last for an almost indefinite period of time)

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Comments (10)

   
14 Oct 2009 04:35 AEST
Libby.
From Grafton
Vacola bottling is a great way to use excess fruit, vegies,sauces,practically anything. Food can be preserved in water, brine, juiceor honey water. There are the older style stove top styles or new electric. The food is preserved pretty much for years. Every summer we bottle the glut of fruit on sale and in winter we have grapes,peaches in honey syryp and vegies as fresh as the day we picked them. A bit of preparation involved at times but worth it. Stove top varieties and new ones sold on ebay.
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12 Oct 2009 02:36 AEST
Phil Lees
Paul - You can preserve without a special preserver - you need a large pot and a thermometer. A good guide is here - http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/publications/usda/2_USDAcanningGuide1_06.pdf . Stuart - slicing is just a matter of taste. I plan to use it sliced and it's much easier to slice before it goes in the jar than after. Slicing also lets you fit more beetroot in each jar. Keir - The jars are Fowlers Vacola brand. They're available new from hardware stores and used on Ebay in Australia.
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12 Oct 2009 01:18 AEST
Keir
From marrickville
Those jars are gorgeous. where did you get them?
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09 Oct 2009 03:43 AEST
stuart
From Canberra
Great article, considering the constant stream of stories involving death on the main SBS website this is a welcome relief. maybe the beetroots were sliced to percolate the sugar and vinegar into the flesh more easily?
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09 Oct 2009 01:11 AEST
Paul
From Box Hill
Is there an alternative to using a preserver? I have too many kitchen gadgets already but love my beetroot.
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08 Oct 2009 05:41 AEST
Nick
$3.99! It ruins my beetroot jokes.
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08 Oct 2009 05:39 AEST
Nick
I got a zero as one of the characters. I thought it was a capital O. I clicked on the "sorry, try again" link and my comment disappeared. Fortunately hitting "back" a couple of times brought it back. I imagine this is entirely out of your control. $3.99 for a single beetroot!
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08 Oct 2009 05:37 AEST
Nick
My local Coles is currently selling beetroots for $3.99. Not per kilogram; $3.99 *each*.
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07 Oct 2009 11:13 AEST
Phil
From Melbourne
DJ - I prefer fresh beetroot in salads to pickled - and I've had my fill of the fresh stuff for a while.
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07 Oct 2009 03:35 AEST
DJ
Love the heading, Phil. But I have to ask - why all the slices?? It suggests you are only going to eat the beetroot in sandwiches or burgers. Personally I like my beets chopped chunky for salads n stuff.
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