Fermenting Beets Recipes

RAW FERMENTED BEETS

Steps:

• Distribute beet chunks between two jars with lids. Add 2 cloves garlic, 3 peppercorns, and 1 bay leaf to each jar.
• Combine water and salt in a bowl to make the brine; stir until salt is completely dissolved. Pour enough brine into the jars to completely cover the beets.
• Screw on lids and let jars sit at room temperature until foam starts to appear on top, about 1 week. Transfer jars to a cool place (50 degrees F, 10 degrees C) for 2 to 3 days after foam appears. Store in the refrigerator.

FERMENTING BEETS

Steps:

• Prep your beets: remove the greens and wash your beets. Cut off the tops and the roots. Use a vegetable peeler to remove the skin. Then, cut your beets as you wish (you can go with thin slices or cube the beets... It doesn't matter how you cut your beets just take into consideration that the thinner you slice the beets the faster they'll soften).
• Pack the jar: wash your jar with warm water and dish soap. Pack the jar with the beets. Make sure to leave 1-1 1/2 inch of headspace for the fermentation weight.
• Add the mustard seeds or other seasonings (see notes).
• Add the brine: dissolve a tablespoon of salt in a cup of water and add it to the jar. Repeat until the jar is filled with brine. Place a fermentation weight on top of the beets. Make sure the beets are covered with brine.
• Let ferment: close the jar with the lid (use a plastic freezer lid or a fermentation lid) and set on a plate to catch any liquid that spills out in the fermentation process. Place your jar at room temperature to ferment.After a couple of days, you'll see bubbles starting to form inside the jar. If you are not using a special fermentation weight, make sure to open the jar once a day to let the gas out then close it again (just twist the lid as if you are going to open the jar and after a few seconds twist it back again). It should take 7-10 days for a quart jar to ferment. The brine in the jar will become foggy and then after about a week, it will clear again. When the brine is clear again the beets are ready.
• Store the jar in the fridge or a root cellar for best results or at room temperature for a couple of months.

LACTO-FERMENTED BEETS

Steps:

• Wash and trim beets of greens. Leave skins on.
• Cut beets into slices or cubes, as desired.
• Place beets, bay leaf and optional flavourings in the fermentation container, leaving a 1" space to the top of the neck of the jar.
• Fill with brine, leaving a 1" space to the top of the neck of the jar
• Add fermentation weight (if necessary). Close jar.
• Leave at room temperature (ideally 55-75 F (18-22 C) ) for 2-4 weeks.
• Transfer to the refrigerator for storage.

FERMENTED BEETS + CABBAGE (PROBIOTIC RICH BEETROOT SAUERKRAUT) RECIPE

Steps:

• Wash the cabbage really well in cold running water, remove and discard any discolored outer leaves. Wash and peel the beets, ginger and garlic. No need to peel the apple.
• For this I'm using a mandoline to julienne the beets and apples, and thinly shred the cabbage. Or julienne with a chef's knife. All separate. The ginger and garlic will be thinly grated also, the smaller the better.
• Transfer the shredded cabbage to a large bowl with plenty of space for you to get your hands in and mix it around. Leave your beets and apples to the side for now. Add salt. You'll want to use a really nice, coarse, unprocessed good quality salt, like this Celtic Sea Salt.
• Massage the cabbage with your hands until it breaks down and becomes soft (about 3 min) and then let it sit for 10 minutes or so until the mixture has wilted a bit and released more salty juice (water). Add the julienned beets, give it another 2 minute massage then mix in the apples, ginger and garlic until it is combined evenly.
• Pack the mixture and juice into clean mason jars. Firmly pack down until the liquid comes up. Liquid should lightly cover the mixture. And leave at least 1-2 inches space at the top for expansion.
• If there is not enough liquid to cover the cabbage, mix 1 tsp salt with 1-1.5 cups of water, and add until the water level is enough to cover the mixture. Use 1 or 2 cabbage leaves over the top to keep it from floating up. Place a clean glass weight over the leaves and press down so everything is submerged under the liquid.
• Cover loosely with a lid and place on a plate to catch any overflowing liquid. Place on your kitchen counter in a shaded place for 3-5 days. The number of days for fermenting will depend on the room temperature.The next day tiny bubbles should rise to the top, indicating it started to ferment. If scum appears, remove it with a spoon.
• After 5 days place it in the fridge to slow down the fermentation process. The longer it ferments, the better it will taste! In about 10 days you can start eating.

FERMENTED BEETS WITH CUMIN AND BASIL

Steps:

• Slices the beets into 1/4 inch slices.
• Put the cumin seeds in the bottom of two pint jars and stack the beets on top.
• Mix the salt into the water until dissolved, then pour brine into jars until beets are just covered. (If you need to add a little more filtered water, that is okay.)
• Submerge your veggies with a vessel, like another jar that fits inside, and cover these.
• Place jars on small plate and allow to ferment at room temperature (65-78 degrees F) for 1 to 2 weeks.
• Once you're happy with the flavor and acidity, remove the weights and pack basil into each jar. Put lid on and refrigerate. After two days remove the basil (or it will spoil). Enjoy! These will last up to 3 months in the refrigerator.

FERMENTED CABBAGE AND BEETS GEORGIAN STYLE

Steps:

• Wash and cut your cabbage into large pieces.
• Wash, peel and slice your beets using mandoline.
• Wash and cut the rest of the ingredients (garlic and celery leaves). You can use more celery leaves if you like. I did not have anymore so I used all I had.
• Start layering vegetables. First cover the bottom of the jar with slices of beets. Then layer them with a layer of cabbage. Place on top some celery leaves, sprinkle some garlic and hot peppers.
• Repeat the same procedure with the rest of the vegetables. I usually have 2-3 layers.
• Boil 1 quart (1 liter) of water. Dissolve 50 g of salt in it. This is your brine. Let it cool and then poor over the cabbage. The cabbage has to be completely covered with this brine. This can be done in advance so that by the time you have all the veggies layers you can used colled down brine.
• Cover the cabbage with some weights. I use the weight that was provided with the crock plus on top of that I place two river stones on that weight.
• Let it siton your countertop for at least 10 days. Believe me you do not want to shortcut this step. The chunks of cabbage are big therefore it will take more time for the microorganisms to get through all that cabbage. The longer you ferment the more lactic acid bacteria you will have in your cabbage. And that is what makes any fermented vegetable extremely beneficial. The picture on the right shows exactly how your cabbage will look like in 10 days.
• Take the cabbage from the crock and place it in an air tight glass jar for storage in the refrigirator.
• You will probably get more brine than you need to cover your cabbage. So you can filter the brine and poor it in a glass bottle for drinking purpose. Believe me it's incredibly yummy and such brines are sold at Whole Foods for about $5 a bottle. Enjoy!