Beet Kvass vs Borscht - I love Fermenting Foods!

Fermenting Foods (and Why I Love Beets)

A midnight note about the old kitchen craft that turns humble vegetables into a jar full of life.

It's 12:36 in the morning as I write this. My body still thinks it's on Australia and New Zealand time, and I wanted to get one more post up before bed. I know staying up this late isn't kind to my body, especially with five kids to care for come morning. But fermenting is a topic I've been wanting to talk about for a long time. So here we go. (And then straight to sleep, I promise.)

Fermenting foods is something I need to talk a LOT more about. It was a crucial part of how people ate in the early 1900s, and it was one of the quiet secrets behind the health of the traditional cultures Dr. Weston Price studied. Long before refrigerators, our great-grandmothers preserved the harvest by letting good bacteria do the work. And it turns out they were doing something wonderful for their bodies without even knowing it.

Oh so good for you!!! 

So what is fermenting, really?

It's simple, and kind of amazing. You let friendly microbes, bacteria and yeasts, break down the natural sugars in food. In the kind I do most, called lacto-fermentation, good bacteria turn those sugars into lactic acid. That acid preserves the food, gives it that lovely tang, and keeps the bad bacteria out. No canning, no freezing. Just salt, time, and tiny helpers.

Here is what I find so exciting about it:

Fermenting fills food with living, beneficial bacteria, the probiotics our guts love.

It "pre-digests" the food, breaking it down so our bodies can absorb more of the good stuff.

It can even boost nutrients. Fermented cabbage kept sailors from getting scurvy because the process raises the vitamin C.

And a few years ago, researchers at Stanford put fermented foods to the test. They had people eat a diet high in fermented foods (things like yogurt, kefir, kimchi, fermented vegetables, and veggie brine drinks) for ten weeks. Their gut bacteria became more diverse, and their markers of inflammation went DOWN. A more diverse gut is linked to better health in all kinds of ways. Our grandmothers would have just smiled.

Now let me tell you about beets

Because I am a little bit in love with them.

Beet kvass is a fermented beet tonic, and beets have long been called a "blood purifier." I love that old name. And here is what we now know is actually going on, which is honestly just as cool. Beets are packed with natural nitrates. Your body turns those nitrates into nitric oxide, and nitric oxide relaxes and opens up your blood vessels. That means better blood flow, healthier blood pressure, and more oxygen getting where it needs to go. Beets also carry betalains, the deep red pigments that give them their color, and those are strong antioxidants that help protect your cells and support your liver. So the old folks who called beets a blood tonic? They were onto something real.

The old name was "blood purifier." The real science is nitrates, nitric oxide, and better blood flow. Just as amazing, and true.

(One fun little warning: beets turn some people's, ahem, bathroom trips a bit pink. It's completely harmless, and my kids think it is hilarious.)

I'll be honest with you. I have a hard time drinking beet kvass straight. It is an earthy, salty, tangy thing, and it takes some getting used to. So I mostly put my fermented beets to work in soup.

My fermented Borscht (and one change that matters)

My favorite fermented foods cookbook (the one pictured above) has a wonderful Borscht recipe. I tried a raw version first and just couldn't love it, but the cooked Borscht turned out beautifully. Here is the one change I made, and it really matters.

The recipe says to boil the soup with the fermented beets for half an hour. But heat kills the probiotics and the delicate enzymes, the very things I fermented the beets to get in the first place! So instead, I make the soup as directed, then I turn off the heat, let it cool down a bit, and stir the fermented beets and vegetables in at the very end. That way all those good live bacteria stay alive. For my taste, I add a TON of fresh pepper and a little sea salt. YUMMY!!! I ate that Borscht for lunch and dinner for days and loved every single bowl.

I've also started buying up the forgotten vegetables at the store, the sad turnips and such that nobody wants and that are about to go bad. A little salt and time turns those neglected, under-appreciated vegetables into a jar full of enzymes, vitamins, probiotics, and life. It feels good to rescue them.

Here are the recipes...

Beet Kvass

Makes about 2 quarts2–3 medium beets, peeled and chopped into about 1-inch cubes (chop, don't grate)

1–2 tbsp sea salt

Filtered water to fill a 2-quart jar

Optional: ¼ cup whey, to get it going fasterPut the chopped beets and salt in a clean 2-quart jar. Add the whey if using.

Fill the jar with filtered water, leaving an inch at the top. Stir.

Cover loosely and leave at room temperature for 2 to 3 days.

Refrigerate. Sip a small glass (a few ounces) at a time.

One tip: chop the beets rather than grating them. Grated beets release too much sugar and can ferment too fast into something a little boozy.

Fermented Beet Borscht (my way)

A big pot

Potatoes, peeled and diced

1 onion, diced

Broth or water to cover

Your favorite borscht spices, plus a bay leaf

Shredded fermented beets (and any other fermented veggies you have)

Lots of fresh cracked pepper and a little sea salt, to taste

Simmer the potatoes, onion, and spices in the broth until everything is tender.

Turn off the heat and let the soup cool for a few minutes, so it's warm but not steaming hot.

Stir in the shredded fermented beets and vegetables at the very end. This keeps the probiotics and enzymes alive.

Season with plenty of pepper and a little sea salt. Serve warm.

Basic Lacto-Fermented Vegetables (great for rescued turnips!)

Makes 1 quartAbout 4 cups chopped vegetables (turnips, carrots, cauliflower, whatever needs rescuing)

1 tbsp sea salt

2 cups filtered water

Optional: a clove of garlic, a few peppercorns, a sprig of dillStir the salt into the water until it dissolves. This is your brine.

Pack the vegetables (and any seasonings) into a clean quart jar.

Pour the brine over the top until the vegetables are completely covered. Keep them submerged with a small weight or a clean cabbage leaf.

Cover loosely and leave at room temperature for 3 to 7 days, tasting as you go, until it's as tangy as you like.

Refrigerate.

A few simple fermenting rules: use clean jars, and always keep your vegetables fully submerged under the brine (whatever pokes above the surface can spoil). A little cloudiness, bubbling, and a sour, tangy smell are all good and normal. But if you ever see fuzzy or colored mold, or it smells truly foul or rotten rather than sour, toss it and start fresh. And go slow when you're new to eating ferments, since a little at a time is gentler on the tummy while your gut adjusts.

Oh, so good for you! Now I really am going to bed.

Steffanie

Shared with love from my kitchen. This is encouragement and general information, not medical advice, and it hasn't been evaluated by the FDA. Beets are wonderful, but if you're on nitrate-based medications or prone to kidney stones, check with your doctor about how much is right for you. And as always, if something in your body concerns you, your doctor is the best person to help.