Beet Kvass or lacto-fermented beet juice

02 Aug Beet Kvass or lacto-fermented beet juice

Beet kvass is one of traditional Polish recipes, quite popular especially during Christmas season when it is used to prepare tradictional borscht. Still however I use beet kvass not only during the winter, but all year round. It’s super healthy for the guts and for the blood, delicious and easy to prepare. During summer I drink it as my daily dose of healthy gut bacteria or I prepare delicious cold soup

 

Ingredients

 

(for 1 glass bottle – 0.75L)

approx. 3 beet roots, peeled and well washed

lukewarm water

0,75L glass bottle with a very tight screw cap

a bit of baking paper

spices for sour beet kvass (for drinking, for classic cold soup or for borscht)

3-4 cloves of garlic

1 slice of ginger (optional)

a teaspoon of salt

spices for sweet beet kvass (for drinking or sweet beetroot-fruit cold soup)

you can add fruit, e.g. cherries / sweet cherries/ currants etc.

spices to choose from: cardamom / ginger / cinnamon sticks / nutmeg / anise – experiment with your favorite blends or use each spice separately

You can make sweet beet kvass with salt (a teaspoon) or without salt – I recommend it without salt

Recipe

 

1. Finely dice beets

2. Scald out the jar in which you will prepare the kvass (along with the cap)

3. Put beetroot and all spices that you use into the glass bottle, but remember to fill the bottle up to 1/2 or maximum 3/4 of the bottle height, not more

4. Pour in lukewarm water, but be sure to leave 2-3 cm of empty space under the cap

5. Cover the jar with baking paper (so that the cap does not rust)

6. Close the jar tightly with the screw cap

7. Set aside for 7-14 days. You can stir the jar daily, but do not unscrew the cap.

8. During fermentation, the cap likes to bulge a bit. This is a sign that the lactic acid bacteria are working hard. When unscrewing the cap, make sure that the whole thing does not churn (especially in the case of sweet beet kvass with fruits). Open the bottle carefully, preferably after placing it in a large pot.

9. After opening, refrigerate up to 2 weeks.