Beet kvass

Durga’s Beet Kvass Recipe:

Beet Kvass is a effervescent lactic acid fermented beverage which you can easily make at home from beets, water and sea salt. It can be consumed as a tonic drink, or used to make a vinaigrette dressing. Beet kvass, like other lactic acid fermented drinks, is best consumed in relatively small amounts. It is considered a tonic drink, due to the many health benefits from nutrients, enzymes and beneficial organisms in it. Kvass is also made from stale rye bread. No traditional Ukranian home was without its bottle of beet kvass, according to Lubow A. Kylvska, author of Ukranian Dishes.

Folk medicine values beets and beet kvass for their liver cleansing properties and beet kvass is widely used in cancer therapy in Europe. Anecdotal reports indicate that beet kvass is an excellent therapy for chronic fatigue, chemical sensitivities, allergies and digestive problems. (from Weston A Price Foundation website.)

Note to Sally Fallon fans: the following recipe is adapted from Fallon. Many people start out all excited to make beet kvass and find the results unpalatable and give up. The secret is to use just a pinch of salt (prefer Celtic coarse) and ½ a cup of whey (or more, if you have lots to use up!)
Basic Beet Kvass

Batch 1:
2-4 medium to large beets, scrubbed, unpeeled, coarsely chopped
½ cup whey leftover from making homemade cheese from raw milk (powdered will *not* do)
pinch sea salt (Celtic salt is preferred as it adds minerals)
about 1-1/2 qts filtered water (not fizzy mineral water)

Combine all ingredients in 2 qt. glass jar. Fill rest of jar w/ water, leaving about 1-1/2 inches headroom.

Invert jar to gently mix ingredients. Place on a counter. Kvass will be ready in 2-4 days, depending on outside temp. Try to mix by turning jar a couple times/day. You can tell it’s ready by the rich red color, by floating beet pieces (means good amount of lactic acid has developed), and by the presence of “bloom” (mold) on top.

Subsequent Batches:
When kvass is finished, gently scoop off as much bloom as you can. Strain liquid into bowl, and transfer to another 2 qt. glass jar. Refrigerate. You may drink at full strength, but as it is concentrated, you may wish to dilute half with mineral water, and add 1-2 tsp honey. It is delightful taken this way, a very pleasant “beet soda.” Children like it, and it looks beautiful.

Then, wash the quartered beets well. They will be slimy. Also wash out the jar they fermented in well with hot water. Chop the beets one size smaller, and place back in fermenting jar, again with half cup way and pinch salt. Repeat whole process. I have gotten up to 4 lovely batches of kvass this way-so three beets last about 2 weeks!

Variations:
Are endless. Kvass is very nice with a teaspoon of cinnamon (a good blood toning combo); also ginger root and lemon (careful! The ginger gets very heady—open slowly or you may have a bubbling mess!); also my favorite is cranberry concentrate—making a great female tonic. For a real treat you may also make it with half water and half freshly juiced apples or pears. It is also nice with dried mint (just crush mint leaves and add to the jar with the beets.)

I would advise against adding honey to the fermenting batch, or using fizzy mineral water, as both slow fermentation; but added after, both (especially the honey) bring health benefits.

Bron: https://sites.google.com/site/spiritualfoodcsa/food-a-pedia/beets