My daughter wanted me to be sure and let you all know just how much she loves beet kvass The key? Fermenting it 4 weeks, not a few days. The overly salty taste diminishes greatly by then, and the end product will have your children begging

Why do you want to include beet kvass in your diet? Apart from the fact that it’s probiotic and heals the gut, it also eases digestion. Loaded with nutrients, it cleanses the liver and is a wonderful blood tonic. And like my daughter says - it tastes great, too.

How to Make Beet Kvass

Most modern recipes will suggest you stir your beets and salt water together and leave them two or three days before transferring to the fridge. But if you’ve been following my blog for any length of time, you’ll remember that most vegetable ferments should be left alone 4 (and up to 8) weeks before consuming. This will maximize probiotics (see How Probiotic Do You Want Your Kraut? for more details) as the pH drops and salt decreases. Some members of the Fido Fermentation Facebook group have tried longer ferments and agree - they rock!

It’s really easy to make beet kvass. Trim the greens off the beets, and scrub the beets under cool water (hot water can kill the bacteria on the beets). Trim or peel away any spots that are dark, as these can harbor mold. Keep as much as the outer part of the skin as you are able, as there are many nutrients, as well as beneficial bacteria, in the outer peel.

Move to your cutting board and chop into chunks no smaller than 1/2 inch. You want them large as you will use them again, cutting them in half, for the next batch.

The number of beets you will need depends on the size of your beets. I generally fill my jar 1/4 - 1/3 full of chopped beets.

I want to mention that the batch of (non-organic) beets pictured above did end up spoiling. You can see how I did leave all the outer peel on, and although I scrubbed it, it just didn’t get clean enough I guess. Oddly, I did the previous batch the same way, although they were organic beets, and they didn’t spoil at all. So I guess you never know

You will then want to fill your jar to the shoulder with salty water. I dissolve 3 TBSP salt per liter/quart of water. Since my REAL salt doesn’t easily dissolve in cold water, I heat a small amount of water in a saucepan on my cooktop, and add the salt. Meantime, I partially fill a mason jar with ice so I can quickly bring the water down to a cooler temp, as the hot water would kill any bacteria on my beets that need to be there for fermenting.

Example: For filling a 2 Liter jar, I add 6 TBSP salt to 2-ish cups of hot water. I fill a 1/2 gallon mason jar with 2-ish cups of ice. Then I dump the two cups of hot water over the ice, and fill with cool water to the top (8 cups, which is 2 liters). I use this water to then pour over my beets (there will be some left over as your beets take up room in the jar).

Never fill the jar past the shoulder. You just don’t want it heaving and leaking all over the place (ask me how I know…).

Below are the beets ready to go. Aren’t they pretty?

The 4 week wait begins!

Time’s up! Beet kvass ready to drink. Aaaaahhhhhh.

When your beet kvass is ready, spoon out the beets and cut each piece in half. Use in a fresh batch of salt water for another ferment. I’ve used my beets two and three times before my daughter begged to eat the beets. At this point they were soft, almost as if they were lightly cooked. YUM!

I like my kvass cold, so I store it in the fridge.

So tell me - do you drink beet kvass? Are you willing to try it now that you know how easy it is?

Want to learn more about herbs? proud contributor

Lea Harris founded Nourishing Treasures in 2006. A mom passionate about her family's health and well-being, Lea believes education is power. Encouraging others to take baby steps in the right direction of health for their families, Lea's goal is to raise awareness of what goes into our mouths and on our bodies, providing natural alternative information that promotes health and prevents disease by using traditional foods and nature's medicine. Lea is a Certified Health Coach graduate from Beyond Organic University, and a Certified Aromatherapist graduate from Aromahead Institute. "Like" Nourishing Treasures on Facebook, join the Nourishing Treasures Group on Facebook, follow @NourishTreasure on Twitter, and subscribe to our newsletter. You can also find me on Learning About Essential Oils forum, and Fido Fermentation Facebook group. Disclaimer: I use affiliate links wherever possible. So if you click on a link, and make a purchase, I might make a small commission, but it doesn't cost you any more.