Fermented “pickled” Beets

I’ve gotten really into fermentation lately.

Part of this is due to the fact that I’ve been craving fermented, pickled, spicy, vinegary foods, but also, I have just been wanting to incororate them into our diet a bit more since they are just so good for you!

**ps – fermentation is different from pickling.  Pickling uses vinegar, while fermentation uses only sea salt and/or whey.  Pickling does not create any beneficial bacteria like fermenting does, which is why I prefer to ferment, even though I love, love vinegar.

So, due to my love of beets, I decided to use some beautiful organic ones.

There are several ways to ferment beets, but I used Sally Fallon’s recipe from my favorite book “Nourishing Traditions”.

1.  Scrub 5-6 med size beets with vinegar and water (I use my homemade produce wash), rinse, and pat dry.

2.   Poke a few holes in each one with a fork, set in a baking dish, and cook on 300 until tender.  My beets were pretty large so this took about 4-5 hours.

3.   Peel off the skin.            

4.   Once you have peeled them, just chop into julienne type slices.  You can also chop into cubes, really, whatever you prefer.

5.   Pack the beets into a one quart jar and press down firmly, as much as you can so that there is little space between the beet pieces.  you can use your hand, but I happen to have a little wooden press from my juicer that worked nicely!

6.   Next you make a brine:

1 C. filtered water
1 T. sea salt (use unrefined)
4 T. whey (if you don’t have whey, use more salt)

*these turned out a bit salty for my taste so in the future I will be doing less salt, and more whey!

7.   Combine the brine and pour over the beets.  add more water until there is at least 1″ covering the top of the beets.8.   Secure with a lid and place in a warm place for 3 or so days, just any countertop will do.  I had a little extra so I made a separate jar that I am letting ferment for 5 days, just for fun.  feel free to experiment!  you may find that some of the juice fizzes out, or a lot of pressure builds up.  you can always open the lid to release it, then close back up.

9.   Once you are satisfied with the taste, transfer to the fridge!

Oh, and yes, your kitchen will look like a crime scene afterwards.

I eat mine plain, but they also go great as a side dish or mixed in with some greens as a salad.

live well. be well.