Pickled Beetroot and Shallots

I've been pondering what to do with my crop of Beetroot this year. I'm not amazingly keen on Beetroot as a cooked vegetable but I love it pickled so I decided to try something a bit different and pickle some along with some Shallots.

First of all sterilise the jar in which you're going to store the pickle. I do this by placing a little water in the bottom of the jar and sticking it in the microwave for two minutes.

Next trim the Beetroot but leave the stalks and the root intact as this will stop the Beetroot from bleeding too much when they're boiled. When the beets are all trimmed boil them until soft but be careful not to over boil them. When ready plunge the beets into iced water to stop them cooking and carefully remove the skin, root and stalks. Cut them into quarters.

Place the prepared beets in a bowl and carefully mix in quartered shallots. Leaving the beets and shallots in the bowl gently heat enough pickling vinegar to fill your jar. Just as the vinegar reaches the boil remove from the heat.

Fill your jar with the beetroot and shallots and pour in the vinegar (while still boiling hot) up to the brim. Put the lid on tightly and leave to cool. The beetroot doesn't need to mature so it can be eaten within a day or two and will keep well, provided it is always totally covered in the vinegar. A great accompaniment to cheese and crackers in my opinion...

Bats

While lying out in my hammock this evening I noticed that we seem to have a family of Bats living somewhere nearby. While watching them flitting about in the dusk sky I was amazed at how quickly they can move. What with the church in the background it was quite a spooky scene but I'm glad that they have decided to roost nearby.

Innocent Village Fete

Julia and I took the dogs to the Innocent Village Fete today in London's Regents Park. The weather was glorious and thankfully we arrived early so got to have a good look around before the crowds descended. There was loads to do including a Farmers Market put on by the traders from Borough Market, Welly Wanging (throwing boots as far as you can), Duck herding (which turned out to be Geese), a fun-fair and loads more. Free smoothies were drunk along with Pimms from the Pimms bus and there was also some music entertainment from a number of bands I hadn't heard of. All in all a fantastic day out.