by Renee Lindstrom, GCFP–Living in Natures Love Lifestyles insideawareness.com
A local #yyj grocer recently had a sale on Kombucha products that included one with natural beet flavouring. The beets created a strong earthy taste. This sale coincided with the hottest summer weather in our area and this beet flavoured Kombucha turned out to be a refreshing drink during the hottest heat of the day.
Beet Kvass
A recipe for Beet Kvass came up when searching for a recipe to ferment beets. Reading it I learned one of its benefits is that it is more hydrating than water. Beets are high in betacyanin that can increase the oxygen-carrying ability of the blood. I read that Beet Kvass can balance out electrolytes like any sports drink without the preservatives and sugars. Curiosity led to exploring this and now there is Beet Kvass fermenting on the kitchen counter!
Unfortunately the recipe I followed did not mention to leave the skins on the beets. This delicate bacteria is necessary to improve the fermenting process.
The ingredients are simple.
- Beets (unpeeled) – 3 or 4
- Salt – 1 to 2 tablespoons
- Water
The fermentation process is simple:
- Wash and cut beets into 1/2 inch chunks unpeeled.
- Add to gallon jug
- Add water leaving 1/2 inch at top
- Add 1 – 2 tablespoons of sea salt
- Seal the jar and set aside
The recipe I am trying suggests to let it ferment for 2 to 3 days however this is with special fermenting lids. Other recipes using traditional mason jar lids are suggesting 1 and 1/2 weeks. I will begin with the 2 to 3 days and adjust future batches depending upon the outcome (remembering to leave the skins intact).
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Here are the lids I purchased to make fermentation easier. It came with a pump to burp the jars that makes it easy and efficient.
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