Hi everyone, my name is Stephanie Thurow. I’m a local author that has written three small-batch cookbooks on water bath canning and fermentation (Can It & Ferment It, WECK Small-Batch Preserving and WECK Home Preserving) and I co-authored Small-Scale Homesteading. I’m a certified master food preserver and a Hennepin County master gardener. I teach traditional living skills classes around the Twin Cities and write for national publications such as Hobby Farms and Chickens magazines.

If you weren’t able to join me on Saturday at Tonkadale for my chat about small-scale homesteading and food preservation, you can find all the info and so much more in my books. We covered topics such as how to make delicious maple syrup from just one tree, why gardening is important and how to grow your own food. We discussed how to get started chicken keeping with a small backyard flock (just 4 hens provide over 1,000 eggs a year) and finally, we chatted about preserving food, including the different methods and just how simple it is to start fermenting your own healthy probiotic rich ferments.

Here's and easy fermented recipe to try at home!

Kvass is best known as being a traditional Russian drink that is made with rye bread, but it is believed that kvass roots back to Ancient Egyptian times. Beet kvass is a twist on the traditional rye bread beverage and with the addition of ginger, it is even more belly-friendly. Beets are rich in antioxidants, they are known to lower cholesterol levels, and they act as a natural detoxifier. This is one easy probiotic drink you'll want to be sure to incorporate into your food preservation regimen.

Yield: 1 quart jar

3-4 small tender beets, cut into 1-2" chunks, leave skin on

2" chunk of fresh ginger root (or more for more a potent flavor), skin on, coined

1 tsp. coarse kosher salt

water, as needed

Wash beets, scrub well, trim off ends and greens, and cut into uniform chunks, about 1-2” square. Scrub ginger well, cut into coins about ½” thick. Fill a clean quart jar with beets, ginger and salt (the jar should be at least half full). Fill with water, leaving 1-2" of headspace (top of the water level to the rim of the jar). Stir well.

If you have a small fermentation jar weight, add it to the jar to keep the ingredients completely submerged under the brine. Remove any small pieces of produce that floats up to the top of the brine, as produce above the brine will increase the risk of the ferment spoiling. Wipe off the rim of the jar with a clean dampened towel. Add the Mason jar canning lid and tightly screw on the ring.

This is a 4-to-6 day ferment. Ferment at room temperature, ideally between 60-75°F keep out of direct sunlight.

Check on the ferment daily to make sure that the brine is covering all the produce. If the produce has floated above the brine level, use a clean utensil to push it back below the brine or scoop it out.

Burp the jar daily – unscrew the lid briefly and tighten it back on to allow any built-up gas to release (and avoid possible jar breakage or the ferment from overflowing).

This is an active ferment. Foam-like bubbling after a day or two of fermentation is totally normal and a sign that things are fermenting along just as they should be.

Ferment until the liquid turns to a deep purple. Taste test to determine completion (the flavor should be tangy and earthy). Once done to your liking, transfer to the refrigerator and enjoy within 3 weeks.

Kvass is best chilled. Drink a small glass between meals to aid in digestion.

If you do not have a glass jar weight, you can improvise by using an easily removable small food-grade glass dish that fits inside the jar. Or, if you have a smaller glass canning jar that can fit into the mouth of the jar you are fermenting with, you can use that to keep the produce pushed under the brine.

Don’t like ginger? Leave it out.

If you are unsure if your water is safe for fermentation, you can boil it. Allow water to fully cool to room temperature before adding it to the jar.

After the kvass is gone, the leftover beet chunks can be eaten as-is, blended into a smoothie, or juiced.

This recipe has been adapted from WECK Small-Batch Preserving (2018) with permission from Skyhorse Publishing, Inc.