Description
How to Make Beet Kvass! An Eastern European probiotic drink made with beets, sea salt and water. Full of healthy probiotics from the Lacto-fermentation, Beet Kvass is believed to help boost immunity. It tastes slightly sweet, tangy, earthy and salty- but in a good way! With just 10 minutes of hands-on time,it is so simple- just let mother nature take its course. (Allow 2 weeks for fermentation- see notes for speeding up this process.)
Ingredients
- 2 medium beets, organic (see notes for doubling, recommended) 2 cups diced, skin ON.
- 3 cups filtered water (tap water may have too much chlorine & inhibit fermentation)
- 1 heaping tablespoon fine sea salt
Optional Additions:
- 1/4 cup fermented pickle brine or fermented kraut brine, or whey (liquid from strained yogurt)
- fresh dill (or fennel fronds), bay leaves, or other herbs.
- pickling spices ( fennel seed, coriander seed, dill seed, peppercorns, celery seeds, caraway etc)
- sliced onion or shallots
- fresh garlic cloves
- fresh sliced ginger or turmeric root.
Instructions
- Wash and slice the beets into ¼-inch thick rounds, then dice them leaving the skin on. You want that bacteria from the skin, so don’t peel! Place this in a clean, 1 quart mason jar. Add any optional additions. If adding kraut or pickle brine, add this now. You can double this recipe and place it in a half-gallon jar (like I usually do).
- Mix 3 cups water with 1 heaping tablespoon sea salt. Pour into the jar, leaving an inch of headroom at the top. ( If you need more brine: The ratio is 1 heaping teaspoon of salt per cup of water. Mix first, then add.) The salt will kill the harmful bacteria, but allow the healthy lactobacilli to flourish.
- Cover with a loose-fitting lid. Place in bowl or baking dish (to collect any drips) and then place in a cool dark place. Check every 3-4 days. If you added the brine, you should see some action within 5-7 days. If not, it can take up to 2 weeks before you notice some slight bubbling when you tap the jar, indicating that it is fermenting. The longer it ferments, the more tangy it will taste, so you can ferment “to taste.” For even tangier flavor, continue fermenting for 1-2 more weeks. Once happy with the flavor, refrigerate.
- Refrigerate (either strain, or leave beets in- I leave mine in). It will continue to ferment in the fridge, but at a much slower rate, developing more depth of flavor. The sugar from the beets will continue to feed the healthy bacteria.
- If you notice any white foam on top of your kvass it is most likely kahm yeast and harmless. Skim it off with a spoon and toss.
- Store this in the fridge, strain into a cup, and drink a few ounces daily.
Notes
This will last indefinitely in the fridge. I highly recommend making a double batch of this because of the longer fermentation time.
Flavor this up!!! I love adding onion, garlic and pickling whole spices.
You can speed up fermentation significantly by adding a 1/4 cup of fermented pickle brine or fermented kraut brine (make sure it is alive and bubbly- from the refrigerated section of the grocery store, not pickled with vinegar) to the jar. Some people like to add whey, feel free. An easy way to get whey is to strain some yogurt- the liquid is whey! Fermentation should occur within 5 days- and you can tell by the bubbly action when you tap the jar. Then Refrigerate!
NOTE: Fermentation slows down in cooler places and speeds up in warmer places.
Yes, you can eat the beets!
Nutrition
- Serving Size: ½ cup
- Calories: 20
- Sugar: 3.1 g
- Sodium: 1202.8 mg
- Fat: 0.1 g
- Saturated Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 4.3 g
- Fiber: 1.3 g
- Protein: 0.7 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
Keywords: beet kvass, How to Make Beet Kvass, kvass recipe, beet kvass recipe,
