Peel the beets and cut into chunks. Place in a large saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer until the beets are crisp tender, about 20 – 25 minutes. Remove the beets from the water with a slotted spoon and place in a mixing bowl. Reserve 1 cup of the water the beets were cooked in and put back in the saucepan with the vinegar, coconut palm sugar, salt, peppercorns, and bay leaves. With a vegetable peeler, peel off slices of the lemon peel and add to the mixture. Squeeze in the juice of the lemon. Bring the mixture to a simmer, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Pour over the beets and let stand for 30 minutes.

Store beets in a covered container or jar in the fridge with the pickling liquid.