Beet kvass
Beetroot is an incredibly nutritious vegetable, it is packed with relatively rare alkaloids known as betalains. These are powerful antioxidants, which benefit us in many ways.
But beetroot is also mineral and vitamin rich, it is a great source of folate, vitamin C, magnesium, iron and potassium. We eat beetroot a lot now, grated on our salads, in smoothies or roasted. We eat the baby beetroot leaves and we eat the beetroot itself.
Beet kvass is another way of benefiting from the powerhouse of nutrition that is beetroot. It is a fermented drink that we add to smoothies or glug in its own right whenever we feel the need for a pick-me-up. It has a full-bodied taste to say the least. There is nothing quite like it.
Traditionally, it was made simply with beetroot and brine, but I love mine with garlic – a fantastic herb that is both nutritious and has many medicinal qualities.
Beet kvass recipe
Ingredients
2-3 medium beetroots, scrubbed. If they are organic, there is no need to peel them.
Garlic 2-3 cloves
Salt
Water, ideally filtered
Equipment
1 litre kilner jar
Washed in hot water or that has been through the dishwasherA large jug
A set of scales
Method
Cut the beetroot into largish cubes.
Cut the garlic up into thin slices.
Put the beetroot and garlic into a clean 1 litre kilner jar.
Measure out 1 litre of filtered water.
Add 20g of salt to the water and dissolve to form the brine. You can drop the salt levels if you fancy to, try 15g.
Pour the brine over the beetroot and garlic, filling the jar almost full.
Make sure you leave a little clear headspace at the top of the jar.
Close the lid (assuming there is a rubber seal to allow CO2 escape).
I always label my ferments, listing the date they were made, the ingredients and the date I next need to pay them attention. You don’t think you will forget, but you do.
Leave at room temperature for 3 weeks.
After 3 weeks, sieve off the beetroot & refrigerate the juice. It will keep for many months.
I drink this as a shot as often as I remember.
I tend to feed the discarded beetroot to the dog or compost it. By the time the microbes have finished with it, the beetroot, itself, doesn't taste of much!
Glitches and hitches
Don’t worry if a bit of mould grows on the surface. Just remove the mouldy bit, keep calm and carry on. Obviously, if the mould is a very bright, unusual colour, you will need to take it more seriously, but I have never seen this happen.
Don’t worry if foam collects on the surface – this is not unusual either. I scoop it off with a clean spoon and shut the lid again.
Fermentation is an ancient and reliable process. It is NOT ROCKET SCIENCE, so with just a little bit of time invested, you will be drinking your very own beet kvass.
