My wife Kathy is locally famous for her pickled beets. We haven't done much canning this year because we have an ample supply stored up. But Kathy decided to make one batch of pickled beets since we had so much left in the garden . Usually in South Dakota we are pretty much done and froze this time of year, but it has been a beautiful fall with an extended growing season.
I picked the beets and cut the stems at about 1 inch from the root .
Now we washed and boiled them for about a half hour. Now the skins come right off of the beets. They are then packed into jars. 
You dump the brine mixture over the beets and give them a hot water bath . Finally you put on the lids and wait for them to seal. We made about 10 pints today. This is kathy's secret recipe and back when we sold at the market they were a hit. Still are with the family.
love beets
Me to I love beets raw,cooked and peeled, pickled, beet greens, you name it. They are reletively easy to grow and so nutritious.