At first I wasn’t sure what I thought of beet kvass, and I origionally bought the beets to do pickled beets. But that required baking them for 3 hours and it’s hot- didn’t want the oven going for 3 hours.
Beet kvass, like all the lactofermented veggies I’ve been doing lately, is supposed to be really good for digestion. The lactofermentation brings out the nutrients in the beets, making them easier to absorb in the body. It also is raw, so has the enzymes in it still that are so essential to life.
Beet kvass is recommended as a tonic, so we’ll try drinking the liquid or adding it to salad dressings and other things where it will remain uncooked so the enzymes stay intact.
Nourishing Traditions (where I got the idea for this) said to coarsely chop, not grate, because grated beets would turn into alcohol. I’m not sure how coarsely to chop, so I did one in bigger chunks, one in smaller.
With the whey, filtered water, and salt. We let them sit on the counter for 3 days with the jam jars screwed on securely (but not boiled or cooked or steamed or anything) and then transfered to the fridge to stay.
Lactofermented Beet Kvass Digestive Tonic
- 2-3 large beets
- 1 tablespoon whey per quart
- 1 teaspoon unrefined sea salt per quart
- filtered water to fill to 1 inch of the top of the jar
Wash, peel, and chop beets. Fill the jar 3/4 full with beets, add salt and whey, fill the rest of the way with filtered water. Screw on a tight fitting lid, allow to ferment 3-5 days, then transfer to the fridge. You can use the beets for a second ferment after drinking all the liquid kvass by repeating the water/whey/salt instructions.
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How much salt did you use? When I made this following NT, it was so darn salty I couldn’t stand it. Have you tasted it yet? What do you think? I eventually froze mine in ice cube trays and threw in a cube or two into kefir smoothies.
I think all the fermented veggies in Nourishing Traditions are way too salty! I cut all her salt suggestions in half.
I agree, When I made the ginger carrots, they were intolerable, but later, I made my own concoction, with WAAAY less salt, and it was awesome. Good tip to cut the salt in half
i made this about a month ago according to directions in ‘internal bliss’ or ‘gaps guide’.. not sure which. i went through all the steps, put it in the fridge and couldn’t bring myself to even try it. it eventually seemed to get frothy and perhaps too fermented. i threw it out. you’ve inspired me to try it again – and i love the idea of freezing it into cubes and add them to smoothies. thanks!
I recently tried to make Beet Kvass from a recipe on the internet. I cannot remember where, but it was revised from Nourishing Traditions and had just a pinch of salt and more whey – 1/2 cup. It was so slimey that it made me gag, but the flavor was extremely mild. Has anyone else experienced the slime from this tonic? Maybe I did something wrong. Maybe the increase in whey made it slimey. I strained out all the beets and as much slime as I could, but the “liquid” remaining still sits in my fridge. I have been afraid to try it again… Please let me know if this slime is normal. Thanks.
Sally,
I just read somewhere else that if you dice or grate the beets too small it will get slimy or frothy and turn to alcohol. Maybe try using bigger chunks?
I haven’t made any yet. Hoping to give it a try soon!
If you don’t like drinking the result straight, but it doesn’t taste spoiled, try making borscht with it instead of throwing it out. You can reserve a cup of it live to add to the cooked soup once it’s cooled. If it’s just too salty, dilute it with stock.
Is there anything that can be substituted for the whey. If I left out the whey what would happen to the beets. Would it be just pickled beets.
Thanks.
I followed all the directions and after a week and a half in the fridge all that poured out was a silly putty -like snot of beet slime! Help! My beet chunks were about 1″ sq. too small? I’m willing to try again, but looking for advice for better results.
Do you have to use whey? We are dairy-free. I usually use apple cider vinegar but that seems like it would kill bacteria and/or make the taste bitter.