Pickled beets

Preparation -- 1 hour

Remove the leaves of the beet and clean the beets very well using a sponge or brush. Add the beets to a large pan and fill it with water.

Bring to a boil and let it cook for about 45 minutes to an hour, the exact times depends on the size of the beets. Meanwhile peel and coarsely chop the onion and garlic cloves.

Add them to the small pan along with vinegar, water, sugar, allspice berries and bay leaves. Put the lid on and let it simmer for about 10 minutes.

Turn off the heat and let it rest for another 10 minutes. 

Finishing the pickled beets -- 30 minutes

Let the beets cool off, you can easily peel them by removing the ends with a knife and then running them under cold running water. Now you can remove the peel using your finger.

Slice the beets into slices and divide them over sterile jars. Sieve the vinegar mixture and throw out the onion etc. Divide the vinegar mixture over the jars and close them.

There won't be enough liquid to fill the jars to the top, but that's allright. Add the jars to a large pan and fill the pan with water just under the lid of the jars.

You can add a kitchen towel to the bottom of the pan to prevent the jars from making any noise. Cook the jars for about 15 minutes and then let cool them cool off completely.

Store them at a dark and cool place. These pickled beets can be stored for at least a year, if they're stored properly without too many temperature fluctuations.