Makes about a quart

Pickled beets are a delicious thing to have hanging around.  They make excellent snacks, are great accompaniments to other foods and are an often used ingredients in other recipes.

2 ½ to 3 pounds of beets

1 tablespoon pickling spice mix

2 teaspoons salt

¼ cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon dry dill weed

1/2 teaspoon fresh, coarse ground black pepper

1 onion, cut into thin slices

Cider vinegar

Trim and wash the beets.  Place in a large pot, cover with water, bring to a boil, reduce the heat to a slow boil, cover and cook until fork tender.  Leave until cool enough to handle.  Meanwhile, combine the next five ingredients with about half a cup of the liquid the beets were cooked in and simmer for about five minutes.  Cool.

Peel the beets and slice into quarter inch thick slices.  Put the sliced beets, in alternate layers with the onion rings, into a large glass or plastic container or a small crock.  Pour the spice mixture over them.  Add enough cider vinegar to completely cover the beets.  Refrigerate or not as you choose.  The beets will be ready to eat in about 3 days. 

You may also add hardboiled eggs to the container for delicious pickled eggs.