Beet Kvass and Other Fermented Goodness

 About two weeks ago, I started something called beet kvass (it is the jar in the picture which looks like it has beets in it). The beets came into the kvass picture later in the game, as kvass was a fermented drink birthed out of Eastern Europe and Russia using mainly rye bread and water, with various other spices and fruits used as well. The point of the bread was that it had live cultures in it, like say, sourdough does. When soaked and left to ferment, those cultures are awakened and thrive. It was something often drank by the peasants after long days of work, as it was extremely nutritious and had a small amount of incidental alcohol. Lucky for them. Beet kvass uses a similar idea. It can include bread but many now prefer to use whey (as in the liquid stuff which pools in your container of yogurt). I myself, already steeped in a great deal of fermentation projects, have used just a couple tablespoons of the juice from one of my other pickles as starter. It needs a starter to begin its wonderful process.

Now to start this process I had to chop up the beets coarsely (after the strenuous act of peeling them), as you can see in the picture, and put them in my clean jar. This is three good sized beets, like softballs. It is ill-advised to shred the beets, as every site has warned me, since the beets then let off too much juice at once, sugar as well, and it turns into something more alcoholic. Not to say that it wouldn't be good, I just don't know. If anyone tries that method, let me know how it goes. So the beets are cut and in the jar, good. Now I add one tablespoon of salt and one or two tablespoons of starter (this can be your pooled liquid from yogurt or raw milk, or like me, some sauerkraut or pickle juice lounging around the fridge). You want to have spring water, void of that anti-bacterial chlorine which will destroy our wonderful bodily allies, and fill it up to about one inch from the top. My jar is two quarts. This space between the water and the top is where the excess CO2 created from fermentation will go. If you are using a mason jar, you might keep the lid just a little shy of tight, so as to allow for the escape of the CO2. With my clamp jar I haven't had any issues but do open it each day to release any pressure it builds. Wouldn't want a hole in my jar.

Beets are an extremely healthy vegetable, with implications for use in prevention and healing of cancers, the lowering of blood pressure, the increase of blood flow to brain, alkalization of blood, etc etc etc. It has many vitamins and minerals as well as antioxidants and other compounds of great benefit. Go here to see all the numerous benefits of this gorgeous vegetable. The fermentation of this concoction further increases the nutritional benefit, with the addition of probiotics which not only benefit digestion but help process the nutrients within for greater absorption. The tonic becomes red with time. It needs only three or so days outside of the fridge to be considered ready. The taste is salty and earthy sweet, like you are sucking down the very soul of the beet. If the taste is too salty, then the next batch should be prepared with that in mind, decreasing the salt to your taste. When the first batch is downed, the beets within can be given one more go, a little bit diluted from the first but still extremely beneficial and thirst-quenching.

The picture above includes the second chapter of my beet kvass (on the left, with golden beets this time), my newly fermented sauerkraut (middle, with the addition of organic Gala apples this time for sweetness) and a compendium of various vegetables set to ferment in a mason jar (right, the scraps of the moment are carrots, turnips, celery, brussel sprouts, red pepper and ginger). The last one is an ongoing experiment, which I pull from randomly and drop extra vegetables into. Fermentation is ridiculously easy, one just has to try it out. And let me know about it. Here are a few links to help you along:

• http://thenourishingcook.com/2010/02/how-to-make-fermented-beet-kvass/
• http://scdkatfood.blogspot.com/2010/04/ferments.html
• http://www.sustainableeats.com/2009/05/26/homemade-rhubarb-soda/
• http://www.healthygreenkitchen.com/making-sauerkraut.html
• http://www.healthy-green-lifestyle.com/cultured-foods.html
• http://www.wildfermentation.com/resources.php?page=sauerkraut

I hope that this starts some on a fermentation frenzy. I can vouch for its enjoyment.