Canning Recipe of the Week: Russian Roasted Beet Jam

One of my goals when I started this blog was to bring you some unusual and unique canning recipes to try and this one feels like it captures that essence perfectly. I found it by searching for old fashioned canning recipes. You know like the kind only your great grandmother would remember?

Another goal I have for myself personally is to try new and different ways of preparing foods that I am not fond of, to see if I can get a new attitude about them. That is what the previous recipe post was all about with one of my least favorite fruits, the pear. Amazingly both my husband and I have found a new dessert that we really love in the pear upside down cake, especially the second one I made where I added cinnamon to the caramel. YUM!

Which leads me to one of my least favorite vegetables, the beet. I have been able to eat a pickled beet or two in my lifetime but usually one is plenty to get me by for the next several years, haha. But when I saw this recipe I thought it looked interesting and wouldn't it be cool if I could find a way to enjoy eating beets? The color alone was enticing with the reddish deep purple and hopefully it will surprise with a flavor to match.

So without further ado here is the recipe. It is a small batch recipe that shouldn't need any processing but if you were to triple it you could water bath the jars for the recommended time that is right for your altitude.  This recipe recommends refrigeration for short term storage or freezing it for longer storage.

Roasted Beet Jam  (a Russian grandmother's recipe)

Total Time for preparation:
1-1/2 hours

Cook: 1 hour

Yield: 
2 half-pints

Ingredients: 

• 2-1/2 pounds fresh beets (about 10 small) 
• 1 tablespoon canola oil 
• 1 medium lemon 
• 1 cinnamon stick (3 inches) 
• 8 whole cloves 
• 1 cup sugar 
• 1 cup packed brown sugar 
• 1/3 cup maple syrup 
•  2 tablespoons finely chopped crystallized ginger 
• 1/8 teaspoon salt 

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 400°. 
• Peel beets and cut into wedges. 
• Place in a 15x10x1-in. baking pan; drizzle with oil and toss to coat. 
• Roast 50-60 minutes or until tender. Cool slightly.  
• Meanwhile, rinse two half pint jars and lids with boiling water. 
• Dry thoroughly. 
• Cut a thin slice from the top and bottom of the lemon; stand lemon upright on a cutting board. 
• With a knife, cut off peel and outer membrane from lemon. 
• Cut in half. 
• Thinly slice half of lemon and remove seeds (save remaining half for another use). 
• Place cinnamon and cloves on a double thickness of cheesecloth. 
• Gather corners of cloth to enclose seasonings; tie securely with string.
• Place beets in a food processor; pulse until finely chopped. 
• Transfer to a large saucepan. 
• Add sugars, maple syrup, ginger, salt, sliced lemon and spice bag; bring to a boil. 
• Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, 1 to 1-1/4 hours or until thickened. 
• Remove from heat; discard spice bag. 
• Cool slightly. 
• Fill containers to within 1/2 in. of tops. 
• Wipe off top edges of containers; immediately cover with lids. 
• Refrigerate up to 1 week or freeze up to 12 months. 

 If you try this and like it let me know in the comments!  I will update this post with my own thoughts and photos after I make it and try it myself.

Also, check out the brand new jam label I have added to my shop that says Jam Packed with Love. 

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