Beet Kvass
Use organic beets, natural sea salt, and (preferably) filtered or spring water to make this beneficial and delicious tonic. Beet Kvass is ridiculously easy and cheap to make at home.
Servings: 1 quart
Ingredients
- Filtered or Spring Water
- 4 teaspoons fine sea salt heaping teaspoons
- 4 - 6 small Beets per 1 quart of water, approximately
- 1 Apple chopped, skin and core included
- 2 inch Ginger roughly chopped
Instructions
- Wash beets well to dislodge any dirt, but do not peel, or remove the skin. Chop the beets into medium-sized chunks.
- Chop the apple into small pieces, skin and core included.
- Peel the ginger and roughly chop or slice.
- Add the beets, apple, ginger and salt into your jar. You can also mix the salt and water beforehand.
- Pour water over the fruits and veggies up to 1/2 inch below lid.
- It is important to keep the chunks of vegetables and fruits below the brine. Anything exposed to oxygen will begin to develop mold.
- Affix your lid and store kvass out of direct sunlight in a cool, dry place like your pantry or kitchen cupboard.
- If using a regular lid instead of a special one made for fermenting that releases gas on its own, you will need to unscrew the lid periodically (preferably daily, so set an alarm to remind you) to vent the building up of gas.
- After 2-3 days — take the apples out.
- Fermentation will take place over the next week to week-and-a-half. Taste your Beet Kvass after 1 week but you can continue up to 2 weeks. More time is unnecessary after this. You can strain the Kvass if you wish to get rid of the ginger and apple, or leave as is. If you choose to strain it, you should save some of the large beet chunks and add them back. They will sink to the bottom.
- Keep stored in the fridge.
Notes
Apples and ginger are optional ingredients, you can omit them.
Filtered or spring water is best. If you are using tap water, let the water sit out 24 hours so that the chlorine can dissipate. Chlorine can interfere with fermentation. You can also boil your water for 10 minutes and then allow it to cool to room temperature.
Substitutions & Variations
Instead of apple and ginger add any of the following: black peppercorns, fresh dill, fresh thyme, bay leaves, garlic cloves, carrots, parsnips.
Storage
Store out of direct sunlight. Once the fermentation level you prefer is achieved (1-2 weeks), your beet juice kvass can be kept in the refrigerator for many many weeks and months. This drink is not meant to be frozen, and freezing is also unnecessary as it lasts so long.How To Use Beet Kvass In Recipes
Salads | Make salad dressing with your beet kvass and/or use the chunks of beets and apples directly in the salad too. Soups | Beet kvass can be used to make traditional borscht soups.Top Tips
- A starter culture will aid in fermentation and make for an even tastier beverage, but it is completely optional. Examples of a culture you can use: sauerkraut brine, whey from yogurt or cheesemaking, some kefir, or buttermilk.
- Do not peel your beets but make sure you scrub the skin very well.
- Filtered or spring water is best. If using tap water that has been chlorinated, allow the water to sit for 24 hours so that the chlorine can dissipate.
- Season matters. As with sourdough bread and other fermented foods, fermentation is reliant on temperature. It speeds up in the summer, slows down in the winter. Give your beet kvass extra time as needed.
- Keep your beets under the liquid brine. Use a fermentation weight if necessary.
- Foaming and bubbling is a normal part of fermentation, but mold and off smells are not. Discard anything suspicious.
- Don't throw your beet greens away! Sauté them in olive oil with some garlic and salt and pepper. They go great with pancetta too and make a nice side dish. You can also use them instead of chard in my recipe for potato chard blitva.
- The fermentation equation to scale this recipe up or down is 1 heaping teaspoon of fine sea salt per 1 cup of water or the weight of the vegetables plus the weight of the water multiplied by 0.025.
- Small spices and herbs that float to the top of your ferments become magnets for mold and bad bacteria, make sure you're keeping them properly submerged below your brine.
