Cultured Kvass – A Taste Worth Acquiring
“Fermentation January” continues. Today I’m adding the cultured beverage known as kvass to our repertoire of health-supporting, fermented and unheated foods. Perhaps you’re already familiar with this gorgeous violet-hued superfood and supertonic. Eastern Europeans have long revered this earthy, rich and slightly salty beverage for its blood and liver-cleansing properties.
“This drink is valuable for its medicinal qualities and as a digestive aid. Beets are just loaded with nutrients. One 4-ounce glass, morning and night, is an excellent blood tonic, cleanses the liver and is a good treatment for kidney stones and other ailments.” Sally Fallon, Nourishing Traditions
- Make Fermentation Even Easier
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Take it slowly
I’ll admit that my relationship with kvass continues to be a journey. Kvass seems to be an acquired taste. From my first rather unpleasant sip of Beet Kvass to this morning’s quarter of a glass of Beet/Carrot/Ginger Kvass I’ve come a long way. It’s been a taste worth acquiring. I now look forward to both my morning “elixir” and my evening nightcap.
The process of refining this recipe continues. I replaced almost half the beets with diced carrots for a lighter taste. I’ve got the right proportion now of beets to carrots in the recipe. However, I’m still seeking the spicy taste of raw ginger. The flavor of the kvass will definitely benefit from its pungency. I’ve tried slicing the ginger. I’ve tried finely mincing the ginger. And I’ve doubled and tripled the quantity. Yet, for me, the ginger still seems too subtle. I’ll keep at it and update the recipe.
If you decide to experiment a bit also, won’t you share what quantity of ginger works best for you?
Update Just tried 1/2 cup minced ginger and I can taste it 😉
Superfood and supertonic
Carrots, beets and ginger are all superfoods in their own right. The combination of these three root vegetables makes Beet/Carrot/Ginger Kvass even more nutrient rich. Adding a few days of lacto-fermentation boosts the nutrition even more by producing probiotic organisms and increasing the vitamins and enzymes.
Try it; you just may like Beet/Carrot/Ginger Kvass as much as I do.
Kvass w/ Beets, Carrots & Ginger
Easy, raw, lacto-fermented, probiotic, 100% gluten-free beverage with no added sugar.
Inspired by and adapted from a recipe in Nourishing Traditions.
Three batches of kvass can be made from the same vegetables before adding them to your compost pile or discarding them.
Batches One and Two make 1 quart each. Batch three makes about 1½ quarts
Active time: 5-10 minutes per batch
Total time: 2 days fermentation for each batch
2 cups organic beets, washed, trimmed and cut into ½-inch pieces
1½ cups organic carrots, washed, trimmed and cut into ½-inch pieces
¼ cup fresh ginger, peeled, finely minced
1½ tablespoons high-quality sea salt
¼ cup whey
Water
Batch Number One
Place the beets, carrots, ginger, salt and whey into a half-gallon canning jar.- Fill the jar with water, leaving at least 1-inch air space from the top of the jar. Cover the jar tightly with a lid.
- Place the jar in a dark cupboard to ferment at room temperature for 2 days.
- Pour a quart of the kvass into a quart jar, leaving the vegetables behind. The kvass is now ready to drink.
- Cover the quart jar and transfer it to the refrigerator where it will keep for many weeks.
Batch Number Two
- Add 2 teaspoons of salt to the vegetables in the jar. Add a quart of water, leaving at least 1-inch air space from the top of the jar. Cover the jar tightly with a lid.
- Place the jar in a dark cupboard to ferment at room temperature for 2 days.
- Remove any foam from the top of the kvass. Pour a quart of the kvass into a quart jar, leaving the vegetables behind. The kvass is now ready to drink.
- Cover the quart jar and transfer it to the refrigerator where it will keep for many weeks.
Batch Number Three
- Repeat steps 1 through 4 of Batch Number Two.
- Discard the vegetables.
For Future Batches
- Begin with fresh beets, carrots and ginger following the instructions for Batch Number One.
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