[MickyB]

I had a go at pickling some Beetroot for the first time a couple of days ago.

The level of the vinegar in the jars has dropped and it has left some of the beetroot sticking out at the top, I expect this is due to the vinegar being absorbed into the beetroot, should I top the jars back up with more vinegar to cover the beetroot over?

[maloneranger]

This sounds very odd to me.

Was the beetroot cooked, first?

[mumofstig]

It sounds to me as if the jars haven't made a seal, so that the vinegar is evaporating.

[MickyB]

Yes I cooked the beetroot first and made three large jars, two in jars with a steel clip and rubber seal (from Asda) the other using the old 'Sarsons' pickling vinegar jar, I ran the jars through the dishwasher, rinsed them with boiling water and then put them into the oven to sterilise them before use.

I also heated the vinegar in a pan so everything was hot when sealed.

Could it be that the beetroot has just floated to the top of the jar rather than the level of vinegar dropping? I did pack as much as possible into the jars?

One of the jars with the rubber seal leaks when it is held upside down should I discard this one?

The Sarson's pickling vinegar is ready spiced could I cook the beetroot, allow it to cool and just put it straight into a new jar of this vinegar and seal it back up?

[MickyB]

Anyone? 

[maloneranger]

If the vinegar was hot when you filled the jars and sealed them, then when they cooled the vinegar would decrease in volume [shrink].
That could be the problem.

I am no expert in pickling, as such.
However, the preservation is due to the quite high acidity of the vinegar.
Thus, I do not think it is necessary to seal the jars completely, as you would when bottling fruit [which is less acid].
I think that you could just add more vinegar.

However, I also wonder why you are using large jars?
Smaller ones can be more convenient to use, and if one does go "off", then you have only lost that one.

[MickyB]

However, I also wonder why you are using large jars? Smaller ones can be more convenient to use, and if one does go "off", then you have only lost that one.

Thanks for the reply 

I am using large jars purely because I have a lot of beetroot ready to go.

[chrissie B]

I have had this one time , I had pudhed it all in the jar and filled it and 1 bit just kept popping abouve the level I just filled as much as I could and used that one first so there was less beetroot in it .
chrissie b