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Why are store bought whole pickled beets so much smaller than the beets you'd buy or harvest fresh? Are they picking them when small? Whittling big ones down to one-bite size?
It's a weird question but my internet searching just keeps bringing up the same pickled beets recipe on 45 sites. I don't want a recipe, I want answers to life's burning questions!
All your canned/preserved produce are the not-big/pretty-enough produce.
So, they are the too small ones that still look nice.
The ugly ones are chopped/sliced/puréed etc.
Ah okay, that makes sense. Thanks!
Yeah, it's actually a good thing too!
When harvesting a field of, say beets, They're all harvested when most of them are the right size.
Some are too big and ugly, some are too small, most are just right.
"Binning" them for different purposes maximises the utility of the whole harvest.
Just a guess here, but perhaps they use the beets that are too small/unappealing/strange for pickling. The leftover runts that otherwise would be scraps, as it were. Similar to how baby carrots are made from small or broken carrots.
Good point!