Can you make pickled beets from freeze-dried?

I love beets.
I love them cooked and drizzled with butter;
I love adding them to soups;
and I love them pickled. 

Last year, I tried preserving them by freeze-drying them (and that worked well) and I tried reconstituting them in a pickling brine but I had processed them raw and they were pretty crunchy. 

So, this year I tried again, but with cooking them first. It worked like a charm!

Why Pickle from Freeze-Dried?

1. I now have options as to how I use the beets throughout the winter
2. I love powdering fruits and veggies. I can use it as a spice or in juices or even add it to breads.
3. It is one processing style that I can use for all my preserving. 
   
   

FIRST : PRESERVE THE  BEETS

1. I harvested 4 lbs of beets, washed them and cooked them in the Instant Pot for 17 minutes, in an inch of water
2. I cooled them, peeled them, chopped them into bite size piece, put them on freeze-dryer trays and into the freezer to pre-freeze (this reduces the  processing time)
3. I put them into the freeze-dryer until completely dry 
4. And I stored them in pint jars, vacuum sealed, and labelled.
   
   

Next: PICKLING 

• 1/2 cup vinegar
• 1/2 c sugar
• 1/8th (ish) cup water
• Pinch of salt

• Fill the jar of beets with the brine. (Add more water if needed, to cover beets)
• I added a fermenting weight to keep all the beets soaking in the brine
• Add the lid to keep things clean
• Let it cool.
• Put it in the fridge to chill.
• And enjoy!

Even my picky eater loved them! WIN

Next year, I will grow enough beets to do more batches of freeze-dried beets

How do you like to prepare your beets?
- Debbie

Also, see: How I store my freeze-dried food

Shopping

•  Harvest Right has a referral program for their freeze-dryers. I’d gladly share my experience with you and be your referral person. Message me
• Kuraidori Induction cooker
• Fermenting Weights