(my tiny beets, oh my tiny beets)

Written by Contributor Vivian McConnell

Thank goodness I (small V) have finally come around to loving this dirty, earthy, bloody delicious vegetable. I remember cringing at my mother’s beet and feta snack- her almost shouting “Wow, I LOVE beets!” every time that she consumed them.

This year, I have my own tiny garden in Chicago. Small – yes – but I am more than proud of it. My beets were the first recognizable vegetable to pop up. In a perfect row, adorable red stalks. I was destined to be biased as a mother tends to be with their first child. I feel the most worried when they looked parched or windblown and I hope I don’t feel an emptiness when it is time to harvest them. Empty Nest Syndrome: Beet Edition.

For now, while mine are still growing, I like to grab bunches of organic beets whenever I can. My first hands on experience with beet crafting was this winter when we explored Beet Kvass – a traditional tonic hailing from Eastern Europe. Not only valuable for its medicinal qualities and as a digestive aid taking a shot of it makes you feel strangely like a soldier in the wintertime. 

BEET KVASS

“No Ukrainian home was ever without its “beet kvass.” The kvass was always hand and ready when a pleasing, sour flavour had to be added to soups and vinaigrettes.” – Lubow A. Kyivska Ukrainian Dishes

  Recipe from Nourishing Traditions

Makes 2 quarts

3 medium or 2 large organic beets
(peeled, chopped up coarsely – but do not grate them!)
1/4 cup whey*
1 tablespoon sea salt
filtered water

*strain plain yogurt or available from plain kefir if it ferments long enough to separate. Also can leave raw milk out until it seperates into curds and whey.

Peel beets!

Chop beets, watch your hands look like those of a murderer. Do NOT Grate beets. “When grated, beets exude too much juice resulting in a too rapid fermentation that favors the production of alcohol rather than lactic acid.” 

Here you can see Momma V prepping her whey.

Place beets, whey and salt in a 2-quart glass container. (We stirred the whey in first, because we put ours into 3 separate containers).

Add filtered water to fill the container(s). Stir well and cover securely.

When most of the liquid has been drunk, you may fill up the container with water and keep at room temperature another 2 days. I actually enjoyed my kvass more after my second water fill – it tasted a little sweeter! The resulting brew will be less strong than the first. After the second brew, discard the beets and start again. You may, however, reserve some of the liquid and use this as your inoculant instead of the whey.

And if you didn’t see it before, a beautiful photo of our finished product:

The bitterness of a shot of beet kvass may be hard to get used to, but let’s review on the nutritional values of this particular tonic:

SUM IT UP:

One 4-ounce glass, morning and night, is:

• An excellent blood tonic
• Promotes regularity
• Aids digestion
• Alkalizes the blood
• Cleanses the liver
• Good treatment for kidney stones and other ailments  Nourishing Traditions