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Why am I posting this recipe again? Well because I’m still learning so much about lactofermentation (despite my 10 or so years of experience) and I’ve learned some new things about beet kvass. Evidently I’ve been doing it all wrong. Not to say the way I was doing it before was wrong necessarily but I’ve learned a better way. Lisa from Lisa’s Counter Culture taught me a great way to make beet kvass. You can read about her method (along with a bunch of other great recipes) in her new book, Lisa’s Counter Culture.
Before using this method, I simply tolerated beet kvass because I knew it was good for me. Now I crave it!
First off, leave out the whey! That step alone will take you kvass from yuck to yum.
Secondly, use a 2% brine for the perfect amount of salt. That’s 19 gms of salt per quart of water. I’m using weight measurements because salts vary from brand to brand. A courser grained salt might weigh significantly less than a fine grain salt. Use a scale to avoid over or under salting.
Lastly, leave it out for a looooong time. I’m talking 3-6 weeks on the counter. I do my kvass now by the gallon to get me through the 3 weeks it takes to make. When you take your first taste, it shouldn’t taste too salty. If it does, leave it out longer.
Orange Ginger Beet Kvass
- beets, scrubbed and very roughly chopped, enough to fill your jar about 1/2 full
- 2″ knob of ginger, sliced thin
- 2% brine (19 gms of salt per quart of water)
- 1 organic orange, juiced and zested (for the second ferment)
Place your roughly chopped beets in a 4L Pickl-it jar with the ginger. Cover with 2% brine to the shoulder of the jar. Fill your airlock and seal the jar.
Place in a dark location and for extra measure, cover with a towel. Now forget about it for 3 weeks.
Taste test the kvass. It shouldn’t taste too salty and should taste pleasant. If not, leave it out longer.
If you notice a foam or film on the top, you can pop it open quickly and skim that off. Don’t worry, it’s not mold but it might affect the flavor. Seal it back up and forget about it again.
After the 3 weeks is up, it’s time for the second ferment. Add your orange zest and juice and leave for another 2-4 days.
Now you can refrigerate your kvass in a flip top bottle and enjoy.
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How does it taste different?
Whoops! I didn’t mean to publish this recipe yet. My batch isn’t ready to try yet so I’m not sure. I’ll let you know when I give it a try.
I’m going to try this with my huge crop of SIX golden beets.
I have crystallized and powdered ginger. Can I use one of these instead? What does kvass taste like and is it alcoholic? Thanks!
[...] uses her bounty of chili peppers in this post, Pepper Mash and Chili Sauce. She also revamped her Orange Ginger Beet Kvass recipe. If you’ve tried making kvass and couldn’t stand it, this method might make you [...]
your 2nd fermentation, do you remove the beets and ferment the liquid + orange juice and zest; or
do you ferment in the same jar with the beets ?
tks
Luciana
I know this recipe would be great, had I done it right, a google search pulled up your old post. So I’ve added my beets salt ginger and orange into my pickle it. I scrolled through the recipe to double check the number of days to let it ferment and see your comment telling someone NOT to use the old recipe. Bummer!!! Actually thinking about it, I will strain and rinse my beets and start over. So not all is lost. Guess we are good!
Thanks!!
Ooh, I’m sorry Amy! I’ll put an update in the recipe itself to save others the pain of it.
[...] **Recipe has been updated! This new version tastes even better Orange Ginger Beet Kvass, Revised** [...]
Awesome! Thank you, I love your site. Merry Christmas!!!
Do I have to use a special jar? Can you give directions with out it please?
Hi Barb, I do highly recommend people use an anaerobic jar but I realize that is not always possible (Pickl-it has been very slow to ship recently too). The second best option is to use a wire bale jar like a Fido (the lid locks down with a gasket). If you do that, I would suggest opening it just slightly every day to relieve the pressure. If you don’t have a wire bale jar, you can use a mason jar with the lid on as tightly as you can. The end result won’t be as good or as rich in probiotics but I do think it’s better than nothing. Again, relieve the pressure daily if you choose this method.
I am using a Pickle Pro from Homesteader’s Supply. They go right on a regular wide mouth mason jar. I’m making kvass in it right now (thanks to this blog!) and I have used it successfully for kraut and pickles and fermented carrots.
[...] Pickle Me, Too [...]
Is it OK to add the orange juice and zest to the first batch? Also, I added ground cloves to mine and it helped the flavor, is there any problem with adding the cloves while fermenting, would you recommend whole or ground?
Thanks!
I would hold off adding the orange juice but the zest would be fine to add. The juice would add more sugar which can make the ferment turn to alcohol. Also, with as long as kvass takes, the juice would lose all it’s sweetness. I believe cloves would be fine to add to the first ferment too. I would do whole cloves since ground tends to float and can harbor mold.
Thanks so much for your quick reply! Two more quick questions – the juice won’t turn the second ferment to alcohol because it ferments more quickly? would it taste the same if I add the OJ right before drinking?
It shouldn’t turn it alcohol because it’s a shorter time fermenting. Adding the OJ right before drinking would be fine too, it’ll be more sweet too.
Can’t wait to try this. Do you re-use those beets for a second batch or need to save any of the liquid? How long do you recommend it stay in cold storage or is it ready to drink right away? Thanks
Since I do a longer ferment, the beets are pretty spent by the end of the 3 weeks. I just eat them. Yum!
You can drink it right away. It will last quite a few months in cold storage too, though I wouldn’t keep it too long. Once the food source is removed, the LAB’s will begin to die. Best to drink it up while it’s nice and rich.
I’m confused. I have Lisa’s book and it says leave it out for 7-9 days; not 3-6 weeks. I forgot about some and left it out for 10 days and it has brownish bubbles on top. I found your site (glad I did) because I was googling to see if that was OK–the brown color.
Hi Lenore,
I don’t have the book in front of me right now but I do believe she recommends leaving it out longer if the beet kvass still tastes salty. I find 3 weeks is a minimum for me to get a good tasting kvass.
The brown bubbles are ok. If you want you can scoop them off and keep going, that’s fine to do. It is fine to drink early if you would like. I just like the taste when it’s gone longer.
Then I will definitely try leaving it out longer, I like the “bubbly” effect. Thanks!
How can you tell the difference between just the brownish bubbles and mold? I think mine may have gotten moldy, it’s been fermenting in a aerobic jar for 8 days now. I skimmed off the nasty looking stuff, but I’m not sure what it was! It was whitish and some was greyish and looked like mold! Yikes! Any suggestions?