Beets are root vegetables known for their hardiness: They’re easy to grow and last a long time in storage, and they stand up to being roasted, candied, boiled, or pan-fried. If you want to make your beets last even longer and pickle them, make sure you don’t forget this crucial preparation step to make the process much easier.

To enhance beets' inherent sweetness, give them a richer depth of flavor, and soften them up so the pickles won't be hard to chew, they should be roasted before pickling. Roasting vegetables encourages caramelization that creates a pleasant "nutty" taste, and it occurs more noticeably in sugar-heavy vegetables, like beets.

If you wrap the beets whole in aluminum foil before cooking, it's a breeze to remove the skin; simply squeeze gently, protecting your hands from staining with a towel, and it should slide off. Once roasted, the cut wedges of beets readily soak up the pickling liquid and seasonings since they're still warm from the oven.