Yes, yes, I’m aware that I already did a beet phickle for you this summer. This one’s different, and, I’ll admit, it might kind of be cheating where the whole phickling it thing is concerned. But not really? Basically, what you’re going to be doing, is pickling so that you can drink the brine. That’s right, folks, I’m talking beet kvass. one of my very favorite fermented drinks. So tasty! So customizable! So, as I recently learned, explosive!
So let’s talk about that explosive part and get it out of the way. I had my first explosion. It was fun, cuz it was beets, so it made my kitchen look like a gorgeous slaughterhouse. You know, the way you want it to look on your last lazy Sunday morning of the calendar year. With the help of my wonderful husband, I got everything spic and span in the space of only an entire weekend day. Everything, and I mean everything was spattered with kvass: the utensils inside my drawers, the pots and pans inside my cupboards, my walls, my refrigerator, the molding, the doormat and, obviously, the floors. I’m not complaining that much; I mean, I got almost all of the stains out. And if that hadn’t happened, I’m not sure would have discovered that doing it with mostly chioggia beets is definitely the way to go if you want a shockingly pretty drink. Anyway, I fermented this in my 1 gallon Fido jar, which in theory, should’ve meant some wall spray (like what happened with my mul kimchi back in April) when too much carbonation built up inside my jar. Instead, a big chunk of jar just popped out of the bottom. In a way, I am grateful; beet kvass sprayed all over my walls would likely have been a harder stain to remove than a little splatter on the walls and a lot of soaking on my floors and wood countertop (and inside my drawers, etc., etc.). However, I’ll admit, I’m still not sure what exactly happened. Yes, it should have gone in the fridge that night. It was on day 5 of room temp, and that’s when the ruby liquid usually gets chilled in my house. But honestly, it’s never been all that vigorous of a fermenter for me, so I thought I’d be alright waiting until morning to clear a space in the fridge. Live and learn, right? I’m going to act like it’s a rite of passage to have a thing explode. That said, don’t let it happen to you! And now I can serve as a cautionary tale: no one was hurt in my home, but that doesn’t mean someone couldn’t have been. Please, please, be careful, vigilant and strict when fermenting liquids in glass containers.
So the exploded kvass was supposed to be a long-fermented kvass (about 2 weeks) for a little talk I was giving at the Philly Homebrewer’s Club, and after the explosion, I had to act quickly to make something drinkable for the event. I couldn’t find red beets, which I prefer, because then it looks like you’re drinking blood, which just seems a little badass to me (only because you are not drinking blood; actual vampirism seems uncool to me). Or if you’re not a gross person, it looks like a sumptuous ruby liquid that you couldn’t fake the color of with all the food coloring in the world. In any case, I couldn’t get my hands on red beets that day, and I had to get the kvass made, so I settled for one tiny, leftover bull’s blood beet and several extra large chioggia beets. You know the ones? They look like a bullseye and taste like a beet. I love those guys for salads and the like, but usually for pickling they leave me unimpressed. The red dyes the white and then they’re just like less pretty regular beets. Blah. But in kvass, oh lord. You get organic neon, something I didn’t think possible.
The word kvass actually means “yeast” in a whole host of slavic languages (thanks, Wikipedia!), but this beet kvass is produced through lactic acid fermentation. The final beverage is usually described as earthy, but I find it to taste like beet lemonade. It’s touted to have just about every health benefit under the sun, from anti-carcinogenic to liver cleanser. I drink it because it tastes amazing, and I do get a little extra pep in my step when beet kvass is around. I also find it to be a great recovery drink after a workout (this statement has definitely not been evaluated by the FDA).
There are other kvasses out there. Everything from super wacky combinations to the traditional rye bread variation are called “kvass” by some people, and I’ll definitely share some other recipes with you in the future. For now, though, you can enjoy drinking something that looks like it came out of the worst possible aisle of the convenience store, but actually came out of an organic garden!
CHIOGGIA BEET KVASS
Yields 11-12 cups of beet kvass
Some people use whey to make beet kvass ferment more quickly. In my opinion, this could not be less essential. Your beets will ferment just fine without whey, so why add it? I also omitted salt in this last batch, but you may choose to use a very small amount. Most people do, since the salty environment favors good bacteria over bad and slows fermentation. Just remember that a little goes a long way.
Equipment
A gallon jar with a gasket, two half-gallon ball jars, a large pickl-it or other airlock jar, or a water sealing crock
Something to serve as a weight inside of your fermentation vessel. I place a cabbage leaf inside and then place a boiled stone or small glass on top of it to keep the veggies below the surface level of the liquid.
Ingredients
- 3 extra large chioggia beets, about 3.5 pounds
- 4 inches of turmeric root, chopped into chunks (optional, but excellent for dealing with inflammation)
- 4 inches of ginger root, chopped into chunks
- 2 ORGANIC lemons, quartered and scrubbed, separated
- 1 T coriander seeds (optional)
- 1 cinnmon stick (optional)
- ~11 cups of filtered water
- small pinch of salt (optional)
How-To
- Chop your beets into large chunks. I chopped mine into eighths, but depending on the size and shape of your beets, you might want to quarter them or cut them into irregular chunks. Do not shred them or cut them into small pieces or slices. That will make the sugars too available, and will give you a yeast, rather than a lactic acid, fermentation which is not desirable in this case.
- Put your spices, if using, all but one of your lemon quarters, unsqueezed, and your ginger and turmeric into your fermentation vessel.
- Place beet pieces on top and fill with water. The size of your beet pieces will determine how much water you will be able to get into your jar, but I usually get 11-12 cups in there, leaving about 1.5 inches below the shoulder of my jars.
- Squeeze the juice of the remaining lemon quarter into the liquid and then throw that lemon peel in as well.
- If you’re only leaving it for two days (which is fine) seal the vessel and put in in a room temperature spot away from direct sunlight. If you’re going to let it sit at room temp for 3 days or longer, find a weight that will fit inside the jar but still let you seal the jar. See above for suggestions.
- Burp any sealed containers regularly.
- One the beets have steeped to your desired acidity, 2-4 days, stick them in the refrigerator for an additional 2-4 days. I normally do 5 and 5, but given my last explosion, I’m going to start refrigerating earlier in the summer months.
- Once you’re satisfied, strain off the liquid to drink. Enjoy!
- You can add similar quantities of water to the jar with the veggies in it and repeat the process with a shorter fermentation time (3 days is good). I like to do three batches with the same produce, with successively shorter fermentation times.
- Once you’ve been through three batches, it’s time to say goodbye. My dog loves beets, so I always give her a couple chunks before composting the rest. For the more hardcore among you, I’m sure there are some great ways to reuse the goods!
What’s your favorite thing to add to beet kvass?
Zuzka Ou says
Tumeric, ginger and lemon – it sounds delicous! I have to try it!
Usualy i´m pickling kvass with garlic, onion, coriander, pimento, black pepper, bay leaf and tarragon. Part of tomatoe juice is also great.
Amanda says
Sounds great, Zuzka! I like a savory tonic in the winter and a “sweet” one in the fall. I’ve never used your particular spice blend before, though! I’ll definitely give it a shot!
Shelly says
Does the jar need to be sanitized again before proceeding with a second batch? Or can you just add more brine and repeat the process??
Amanda says
Sanitizing isn’t necessary for fermentation. Good luck!
Becky says
As someone who is not entirely sold on beets quite yet, I’m not ready to jump in with this. Although the idea of drinking something neon pink is appealing – even more so because it’s naturally neon pink. Is that wrong?
Lili says
Where do you find fresh turmeric root? I’d like to try it.
Amanda says
Hi Lili,
I get it from Whole Foods or from my local natural foods market. I hope you can find some!
Lili says
Thanks! I’ll be at Whole Foods tomorrow and will look for it.
Kat says
I left my beet kvass in my cabinet a little too long–definitely over a week, but possibly less than two or about two? lol. I burped it and there’s no mold, no explosions, no funky smells. It just smells like beets and has an absolutely gorgeous jewel tone to it colorwise. Am I good to pop this in the fridge and drink? One of the jars has a slight whitish film in a few spots but its definitely not mold. Just a kombucha looking film. Help?
Amanda says
Hi Kat,
The jars without film are 100% definitely good to go. In fact, it will probably be that more delicious for having fermented longer. One of the reasons my explosion was such a surprise, is that I’ve totally failed at getting it in the fridge before a week and had no problems! I guess that’s how it goes, though.
As for the jar with film: since this is anaerobic fermentation, you shouldn’t really get a mother forming (the need air), but it might be kahm yeast. Kahm is safe to consume, but most people do not find it tasty. Give it a taste, if you enjoy the way it tastes, and the film is not fuzzy or greenish/reddish/orangish/bluish, I think you can safely consume it with abandon. If it smells off AT ALL, though, better to err on the side of caution.
Glad you had success! Definitely one of my favorite treats, for the color alone!
Amanda
Kat says
I’m good to go! Both jars smell the same (probably because the film was very very little, about pinky nail sized) and I actually ENJOY the taste very much! I’m starting small because I’m trying to avoid die off symptoms but I’m working into incorporating more probiotics! Thanks so much for your help! And the quick response!
Sarah B. says
Hello! This looks so great! I have all the ingredients, but was wondering if you peeled your beets or left the skin on? Does it matter?
Amanda says
Hi Sarah,
I always leave my beet skins on. Just wash thoroughly. Common wisdom holds that the majority of the lactic acid bacteria needed for fermentation live on the skin of the vegetables. I haven’t seen any studies done on this, but in my own experience, unpeeled vegetables seem to ferment more vigorously than those that have been peeled. It makes sense, since we know that lactic acid bacteria live in the soil!
I’ve been longing to make a fresh batch for a good, long while! Time to get on that. Let me know how yours turns out!
Amanda
Ryan says
When you reuse the beets for subsequent batches, do you reuse the lemons and spices as well or add new ones?
Amanda says
Hi Ryan,
I just add water back into the jar/vessel. I don’t remove anything.
Good luck!
Erin says
Ah! I wish I would have read this before I made my first kvass yesterday. I used my mandolin to slice the beets, instead of cutting them into chunks. Is it still safe to drink? How will yeast vs. sugar effect the brew?
Amanda says
Hi Erin,
Definitely safe! It may not be what you’re looking for though, depending on the size of the pieces. If the sugars are too available, you may end up with some lovely (or possibly slimy) beet wine instead of kvass. It’s probably just fine! If you notice alcoholic notes, however, you’ve probably had some yeast fermentation rather than bacterial, so use your best judgment about whether or not you’ll enjoy drinking it!
Marybeth Sullivan says
Hi Amanda,
I have seen many recipes for beet kvass where they add more salt than what you call for. What is the difference as far as the fermentation process? Looking forward to your book in 2015!
Thanks,
Marybeth
Amanda says
Hi Marybeth,
I think everyone uses more salt than I do! I really don’t think you need it and I don’t like drinking salt that much, so I skip it. In vegetable fermentation, salt does a lot of things: it slows the enzymes that break the vegetables down, it keeps the pectins in the vegetables strong so that the end product is crispy, it helps kill bad bacteria (although the natually occurring acid in ferments does that just fine on its own) and it can help prevent surface yeast or mold. I give my jar a little shake every day if I use no salt and that gets rid of the kahm/surface mold risk.
Other than that, the reasons to use salt apply to vegetables you’re going to crunch in to. Since you won’t be eating these veggies, I see no reason for salt. So there’s my logic for you! If you’re especially concerned about surface yeast or your home is very warm, go ahead and throw a bit of salt in there. Otherwise, I just don’t think it’s necessary and I think it tastes better without it!
Jeff says
I was wondering if I could just use more lemon juice instead of using salt? Wouldn’t the lemon juice slow down fermentation enough to slow down the bad bacteria?
Amanda says
Hi Jeff,
Salt will actually slow fermentation because lactic acid bacteria are “halo-tolerant.” They can live with salt, but it does retard their progress. Lemon juice will merely lower the pH, which could actually be a problem if it gets too low. The bacteria that usually kickstart veg fermentation are not very acid tolerant, so if you want the whole process to proceed in its normal cycle, limit the amount of acid you use at the start. The likelihood that you’ll add so much lemon juice that no LAB will be around to get fermentation going is unlikely, though, so feel free to go nuts.
I very rarely use salt in my kvass, because I don’t like how it tastes. This means I need to be more vigilant about issues as they arise (more careful about off smells, for example) but I have never actually had a problem and ultimately, the answer is pH, so if you really want to do a lot of salt free fermentation, you can invest in a decent pH meter and make sure the pH reads below 4.0. I hope that helps!
Thanks for reading!
Amanda
Angela says
I was wondering how many jars you use for this recipe and what size? Thank you so much for this recipe! I can’t wait to try it.
Amanda says
Hi Angela,
I usually use a gallon jar with a gasket or two half-gallon ball jars, but a one-gallon water sealing crock would also work wonderfully. Thanks for reading.
Hannah says
As for what to do with the pickled beets after you make kvass, I like to use them in borscht – gives a lovely sour flavour to the soup.
Kathy says
I have a question. Would sugar beets work to make kvass? Or would there be too much sugar such that the fermenting process may not work properly?
Amanda says
Hi Kathy,
To be frank, I’m not sure. I’ve never tried using sugar beets, but if you do, give yourself the best chance of success by using large pieces. Like halve them and nothing more. I’d love it if you’d report back. I’m sure other readers have this question as well.
Thanks for reading and sorry I can’t be of any help here!
Mindy says
This should ferment if I had more salt (pink), correct? I think a tablespoon or so should turn this in the kvass in a few days. Do you know if this is right? I just put all of the ingredients in to a jar, so I’ll let you know how it turns out. Love the addition of cinnamon, tumeric, garlic, etc.!!
Amanda says
Hi Mindy,
You can add more salt of any variety if you choose. I don’t like the way it tastes with more salt, and since I don’t care if the vegetables are crisp since I won’t be eating them, I often skip salt entirely. A tablespoon of salt will make for a seriously salty beverage.
Craig says
I have a five liter water seal fermentation vessel that I’m thinking of trying to make the kvass in and was wondering how long I could leave it out before putting it I the fridge. Also, could I continue to leave the vessel out and just pour off kvass to then refrigerate or does it need to be in the fridge with the beets and stuff for a while as well?
Thanks!
Kirsten says
Amanda,
Honestly I’d rather this explosion than the methane explosion my brother caused when he was trying to use dog poop to make energy. Anyhow . . .
Thanks for this recipe! I’ve added it to the Farm Fresh Feasts Visual Recipe Index by Ingredient, a resource for folks like us eating from the farm share.
I appreciate it!
Amanda says
Haha. I grant you that sounds much worse!
Laurie says
hmmm… anyone ever try Kvass with a salted Moroccan lemon?
Shawnee says
Hi. I’m vegetarian and really on a beet kvass kick. It has iron and all kinda of goodies, and I like getting my vitamins from food rather than a pill. My biggest problem is I keep getting mold. I really want to get a crock since my husband and I drink a lot. Is that a good idea? How often should I burp the crock to avoid explosions? I’m desperate to figure out how to do this the right way but there’s so much info out there. Any books or fermenting website you can recommend for beet kvass in specific? Any help is appreciated!:))
Amanda says
Hi Shawnee,
I love beet kvass too! A crock will either have a water moat, in which case it will burp itself, or it will be totally open, in which case burping isn’t necessary, but mold and kahm will be more common issues.
If I may be so bold: I think you may be over-thinking it! There’s really no need to worry. A large, fido-style jar will work fine, as will a crock (water-sealing is better for avoiding Kahm yeast or mold, if you’re worried about that). And, not to plug, but I have a whole chapter on vegetable kvass in my book, Ferment Your Vegetables. It just came out a couple weeks ago, and I think you might find it helpful.
I hope that helps, but really, you can do this! Mold will form with air exposure and a still surface, so give your jar a little swirl and get a a Fido Jar (should be burped) or a water-sealing crock and you should be good. Also, use large beet pieces (1-inch or larger). That limits the available sugars in the veg and helps prevent yeast and other surface fungi from having the advantage.
Shawnee says
Thanks for the encouragement! ‘Santa’ got me a crock with water seal and spigot, so can’t wait to give it a whirl. I’m glad you said the water seal crocks will burp themselves because I was worried about explosions too! I’m definitely going to get your book next. Happy holidays!:D
M says
Hi!
How much of the kvass do you drink, at a time?
Also, do you have a page on a bottle-primer?
I’m not understanding of what is the best type of jar to use – I don’t want explosions!
Thank you –
Valeta says
Hi,
I just stumbled upon yoyr book “Ferment you Veggatables” about 2 weeks ago and decided to try my hand at the red beet kvass. All seemed to be goingood well except the basil (I used the leaves and stems) floated to the top and has white on it. It kinda looked fuzzy. I scooped it off and thought I would ph test it, but the beautiful red jewel tone won’t reveal the phone level…it just stains it. You can see the little bubbles float and break at the surface. I tasted it, it seemed fine. It definitely doesnt seem acids to me. Your website implied I could skim the white fuzzy stuff off (not sure it’s mold…could be) and be safe. I’m kinda scared to try it. I also was under the impression from the book that metal was a bad thing to have in contact with ferments so I used plastic wrap that will vent the co2.
I guess my question is. Is it safe (no botulism) or do I chuck it?
jackie says
Can you eat the beets and drink the kvass?
Amanda says
Yes, but the beets generally don’t have much flavor and a lot of the nutrient value has been sapped as well. I like them best added to soups or stews or pureed into dips. Sometimes slicing them and using them as “crackers” is fun too!
Matthew says
I made a beet cabbage kvass but some of the cabbage is tiny ad keeps making its way through the beets to the surface. I don’t want to keep opening it to pull those little buggers out as I’m trying to keep it airtight. To minimize mold probability. But my question is if I left those there at the service do you think it would still be fine and not mold or should I keep pulling them out?
Amanda says
Hi Matthew,
I wouldn’t worry about it too much. Yeast on kvass surface is pretty common, even without floaters. To avoid this, I do several things. Here are a few I think will be helpful to you (I cover more in my book, but these are the things that I think apply most in your case):
1) I give my vessel a swirl once or twice a day to disrupt the surface
2) Leave veg pieces large. Don’t shred anything for kvass. Pieces under 1 inch are never ideal.
3) A tip from Carly of Food & Ferments: fill your vessel all the way to the brim and place it in a bowl or over a plate to catch any overflow. The surface of the liquid touching the lid will keep anything from growing on the surface.
Best of luck!
Brynn says
I really like beet kvass starting from recently and so does my entire family. I want to ferment in 2.5 gallon or 5 gallon. Anyone know where I can buy big fermenting safe without chemicals big vessles? Thank you in advance!
Amanda says
You can definitely find ceramic crocks (search for “Harsch crocks if you want the water-sealing variety) in sizes even larger than that, but they can be heavy or unwieldy, so find a good spot and leave it there (IMO). Try Stone Creek Trading if you’re looking for something like that. It’s
I regularly make 5 liter batches in Fido jars. For classes, I use 3-5 and it does the trick nicely. Those are easy to move around and clean and they cost $12-$20, which is why I tend to use them more often.
I hope that helps!